The growing reliance by the US, Russia and China on military and security contractors suggests that the mercenary remains a key player in international politics, now emerging from the shadows to help expand state influence on the world stage by serving as an important actor in the conduct of conflict and the winning of small wars.

Dr Kinsey is a Reader in Business and International Security with King's College, London. Before joining KCL he was an ESRC post-doctoral fellow with the University of Aberystwyth. Kinsey's research examines the role of the market in war with a particular focus on mercenaries and private military and security companies. He has presented papers to the UN, NATO and the EU.

• Historical Context


• Introduction


• Part One: An historical Analysis


• 1: Fighting for Liberty: Mercenaries and South America's Wars of Independence


• 2: In Defence of the National Interest: Mercenaries and the Yemen Civil War


• 3: Stemming Communist Influence in Central Africa: The CIA and Mercenaries in the Congo 1964-1965


• 4: Why Mercenary Operations Occasionally Succeed


• Part Two: The Contemporary Period


• 5: Who is a Mercenary in the 21st Century?


• 6: Mercenaries and Private Military and Security Companies as State Instruments of Foreign Security Assistance


• 7: 1. Exploring the Future for Mercenaries and Private Military and Security Companies as Instruments of State Coercive Power in Irregular War


• Conclusion