POLITICAL SCIENCE/INTERNATIONAL SECURITY.
A former Wall Street Journal staff writer, Hagedorn (Savage Peace) here reports on the rise of private military and security companies, tapped by the Bush administration when it faced a prolonged Iraq War without enough troops. Now these outside-the-boundaries soldiers don't just assist U.S. forces, whom they eventually outnumbered in Iraq, but replace them upon withdrawal, guard U.S. embassies, assist in counterterrorism and homeland security, and more. Dangerous? Yes; what if one of these international companies pitted itself against U.S. troops?