Roland goes corporate: Mercenaries and transnational security corporations in the post‐cold war era
Mercenaries are important non‐state transnational actors in contemporary world politics. However much they might be ignored by students of international politics, they can and do have an impact. The purpose of this article is to survey mercenaries and mercenary armies as transnational actors, both historically and in the contemporary international system. I will argue that the common perception of mercenary armies as Soldier‐of‐Fortune bands is highly time‐bound, and does not accurately reflect the evolving nature of mercenary activity in the present international community. I will also argue that the common perception that mercenaries and the state have a necessarily antagonistic relationship is inaccurate. On the contrary: as a quintessentially transnational actor in world politics, mercenaries have been and continue to be deeply tied to the sovereign state: they are often protected and rescued by the state; they are used by state officials to advance state goals; and, most importantly, their considerab...