Mercenaires SA

by Philippe Chapleau & François Misser

Published 1998 by Desclee de Brouwer, Paris, France pp 218 ISBN 2 - 220-04230-8

Since the beginning of the decade, there has been a spectacular increase in mercenary operations in all continents. This trend is the result of a sizeable growth in available manpower, following the end of the Cold War and of apartheid. Simultaneously, the collapse of a number of states, in Africa and also elsewhere, has caused a virtual explosion in demand for mercenary expertise, either from political leaders, or from organisations, from corporations, charities or, in some cases, the mafia, which want to work ­ at any price - in these zones of high instability.

In this insecure world, which is undergoing considerable change, today's soldiers of fortune have little in common with the 'dogs of war' of the 1960s. Private war empires have been built; they hold contracts with states or corporations and act as the spearhead of future multisector empires. Moreover, these security companies sometimes have the blessing of the military establishments of NATO member states. The failure of NATO, and the complicity of some member states, worries UN officials. Who will control these new 'condottiere' and these 'soldiers of the future', for whom individual and collective security is only a business opportunity? This book describes the stakes and the challenges of conflicts in the age of the globalisation.