Book review - "Contract Warriors: How Mercenaries Changed History and the War on

Good overview of mercenaries in the modern world, particularly strong on the role of PMCs in modern day Iraq (though written in 2005 meaning it will unavoidably date). Rosen offers interesting sketches in Tim Spicer and Executive Outcomes, and throws in a rough history of mercenaries, with particular emphasis on Hannibal and John Hawkwood. Another strength of the book is emphasis on American mercenaries - ones such as the Irish brigade that fought against the US during the Mexican-American War, black ops, the Flying Tigers, the truck drivers in Iraq now - he also writes on the Lincoln Brigade, which many don't seem to consider mercenary (they fought mainly for ideological reasons - but so did many right-wingers, who fought on anti-commie grounds, and the Lincoln Brigade got paid, too). It also sheds light on some non-Western mercs, which traditionally receive nil coverage in the Western press - eg in Burma, Ivory Coast. Not as good as Anthony Mockler's books on the subject and from a squizz at the sources perhaps over-reliant on the internet, but still pretty good.