“Frontier Risk” and the Sino-American Scramble in the Sahel

Expendable Warriors and Misunderstood Visionaries: Confession, Apology, and Action‐Adventure in Mercenary Memoirs

“…Outlets like Soldier of Fortune Magazine , founded in the United States in 1976, advertised “hot spots” where potential mercenaries could find work—and offered a blend of fictional and “true” adventure tales for fans who wanted to participate in mercenary work vicariously. During and after the Cold War, widespread neoliberal socioeconomic policies created prime conditions for the development of PMSCs (Avant; Covey; Percy; Singer). Although the UN officially banned hiring mercenaries in 1989 with International Convention Against the Recruitment, Use, Financing, and Training of Mercenaries, its regulations banning hiring of mercenaries to fill combat roles, engage in hostilities, and/or take part in armed conflict (United Nations).…”