Just Warriors, Inc.: The Ethics of Privatized Force

Description

The presence of contractors on today's battlefields is without question one of the most significant developments in modern warfare. While many contractors perform relatively benign tasks on behalf of the military, controversy rages around those contractors who offer services that involve the use of armed force. The rise of the private military industry raises some difficult issues. For example, Jeremy Scahill, one of the industry's most vociferous critics, questions whether the outsourcing of military force is not 'a subversion of the very existence of the nation-state and of principles of sovereignty'. These questions are at essence philosophical challenges to the existence of the private military industry. In Just Warriors, Inc., philosopher and ethicist Deane-Peter Baker argues that, contrary to popular assumptions, a compelling moral and philosophical case can be made in favour of the ongoing utilization of the services that these 'private warriors' offer. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in moving beyond the hyperbole and exploring in depth the real questions that should be asked about the privatisation of military force.

Deane-Peter Baker is an Associate Professor of Ethics at the University of New South Wales, Australia; a Visiting Research Fellow in the Kings College London Centre for Military Ethics, UK; and a Research Associate in the Centre for Applied Ethics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Previous books include Citizen Killings (Bloomsbury 2016) and Just Warriors Inc. (Continuum 2010).

[an] illuminating book... a thorough, well-argued and pleasant to read defence of the idea of contracted warfare. -- Ethical Perspectives 18, no.2 Baker's arguments are well supported with sufficient historical context and anecdotal evidence where necessary... The author's case is an important and timely one, and it works well on a number of levels... this book is a call for clarity on the subject and a spark for interesting conversation on the topics of ethics of warfare, morality and the market and humanitarian intervention. -- Political Studies Review Vol. 10