Outsourced Empire - How Militias, Mercenaries, and Contractors Support US Statecraft

There has been a shift in the way that we understand the forces behind imperialism. In this book, Andrew Thomson re-evaluates the history of US imperialism, from the Cold War to today, by looking at the influence of paramilitary actors.

Thomson reveals how these agents are central to US imperialism - from the Guatemalan coup to the Bay of Pigs, from Syrian rebel factions to the Soviet-Afghan War, bringing these narratives together to reveal the evolution of paramilitary insurgencies across the globe. Militias, mercenaries, and private companies (PMCs) have formed a central part of the strategies designed to influence political and economic conditions abroad, oriented towards the US's Empire.

Drawing on declassified documents including US training manuals, CIA communiqués and the National Security Archive, Outsourced Empire reveals new evidence that helps us understand these institutions and their collective role in maintaining global order.

About the author

Andrew Thomson is a Lecturer at Queen's University Belfast and Research Fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. He is the author of Outsourced Empire (Pluto, 2018). He researches in the areas of pro-government militias and paramilitaries, dynamics of violence in civil wars, US foreign policy, the Colombian conflict and peace process, and US counterinsurgency and 'irregular' warfare.

Product details

• Authors: Andrew Thomson
• Publisher: Wiley
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.06.2018
• EAN: 9780745337050
• ISBN: 978-0-7453-3705-0
• Weight: 478 g
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; World, Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000, HISTORY / Military / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Intelligence & Espionage, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Colonialism & Post-Colonialism, True Crime / Espionage, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Military Science, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Imperialism, Colonialism & imperialism, Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999, Colonialism and imperialism, Espionage & secret services, Espionage and secret services, The Cold War, Irregular or guerrilla forces & warfare, c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period), Cold wars and proxy conflicts, Irregular or guerrilla forces and warfare, For higher / tertiary / university education, Mercenaries, HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century / General