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

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Andrew Thomson

Outsourced Empire

How Militias, Mercenaries, and Contractors Support US Statecraft

Andrew Thomson

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English

Pluto Press
20 June 2018

Colonialism & imperialism; The Cold War; Espionage & secret services; Irregular or guerrilla forces & warfare; Mercenaries

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.

By: Andrew Thomson
Imprint: Pluto Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 215mm, Width: 135mm,
Weight: 322g
ISBN: 9780745337036
ISBN 10: 0745337031
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 20 June 2018
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

"Introduction 1. US Empire: Statecraft in the Global South and Para-State Networks 2. Cold War Statecraft and the Covert Principle: ''Power Moves Involved in the Overthrow of an Unfriendly Government?"" 3. US Counterinsurgency: The Growing Paramilitary Movement 4. The Institutionalization of Para-State Networks: Nicaraguan Contras and Beyond 5. Continuity After the Cold War: the Evolution of Para-State Networks 6. The Irregular Warfare and the War on Terror: Consolidation into the Future Conclusion"

Andrew Thomson is a Lecturer at Queen's University Belfast and Research Fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. He researches in the areas of militias and paramiltiaries, dynamics of violence in civil wars, US foreign policy, the Colombian conflict and peace process, counterinsurgency and ""irregular"" warfare and terrorism.

Reviews for Outsourced Empire: How Militias, Mercenaries, and Contractors Support US Statecraft

'A very important and timely contribution' -- Jasmin Hristov, University of British Colombia, author of Paramilitarism and Neoliberalism (Pluto, 2016) 'Existing works which seek to explain US foreign policy in imperial terms do not pay sufficient attention to the consistent use of para-state networks. Thomson corrects this lacuna, through detailed empirical analyses... an original and distinctive book' -- Sam Raphael, Department of Politics and IR, University of Westminster 'A timely and critical look at the evolution, formation, and role of U.S. propelled paramilitarism... a vital study' -- Jeb Sprague, University of California, Santa Barbara, author of Paramilitarism and the Assault on Democracy in Haiti (Monthly Review Press, 2012)