■ Isenberg, David, 2009. Shadow Force: Private Security Contractors in Iraq. Westport, CT: Praeger Security International. 244 pp. ISBN 9780275996338
| Published date | 01 July 2009 |
| DOI | 10.1177/00223433090460040803 |
| Date | 01 July 2009 |
| Author | Kjell Erling Kjellman |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
BOOK NOTES 601
Isenberg, David, 2009. Shadow Force:
Private Security Contractors in Iraq. Westport,
CT: Praeger Security International. 244 pp.
ISBN 9780275996338.
The current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
have brought the role of private military com-
panies (PMCs) to the fore. If one subscribes to
commonly held perceptions, it might appear as
if PMCs only emerged with these conflicts. The
use of private military actors is, of course, far from
new, as witnessed by the use of various merce-
naries throughout history. The desire to dispel
this myth and others forms the starting point for
David Isenberg’s thoughtful and thorough analy-
sis of the rise of PMCs as actors in modern con-
flicts. Although Isenberg’s primary focus is Iraq,
the discussion here is more far-reaching. Isenberg
argues that one reason PMCs have garnered so
much attention recently is that they are far from
the bands of mercenaries of the past; instead, over
the past 20 years, they have become entities that
operate in the same way as other corporate actors.
According to Isenberg, PMCs operating in Iraq
are quite diverse, with the vast majority being
either Iraqi nationals or third-party nationals
rather than from the West, as is often presumed.
Their roles also vary greatly, ranging from active
combat and security protection to the provision of
logistical support and advice. Their prominence
in Iraq can, in part, be traced to the Bush admin-
istration’s miscalculation of the number of troops
needed and the strength of the Iraqi insurgency,
creating a need for PMCs to provide logistical
support and security protection. The book con-
cludes by offering practical guidelines for how to
better regulate PMCs. Although much has been
written about this topic, the balanced discussion
provided by Isenberg is an essential read for those
seeking to learn more about the role and implica-
tions of PMCs.
Kjell Erling Kjellman
Jenkins, Gareth, 2008. Political Islam in Turkey:
Running West, Heading East? New York: Palgrave
Macmillan. 274 pp. ISBN 9781403968838.
In this ambitious book, Gareth Jenkins analyses
the complex relationship between the officially
secular modern Turkish state and its traditional
Islamic roots. As the title suggests, Turkey’s dual
identity can be a source of bewilderment, both
to the outside observer seeking to understand the
country and, equally, to the traditional elite who
perceive their secular project to be under pressure.
Jenkins provides the reader with a comprehensive
analysis of the development of political Islam in
Turkey. He begins in the first chapter by briefly
discussing the development of Islam, its key refer-
ence works and their political implications. This
provides a good introductory guide for the reader
approaching unfamiliar theological territory.
This is followed by two thoroughly researched
chapters on the role of Islam in the lead-up to
the creation of the Kemalist state. These chap-
ters, in particular, distinguish Jenkins’s book
from similar works by providing a foundation for
understanding the re-emergence of political Islam
in Turkey. Following a chapter on the creation
of the Kemalist state, Jenkins analyses the main-
streaming of ‘Islamic counter culture’ (p. 214)
and the resulting Islamization of Turkish soci-
ety and politics, both in its political form and its
more violent expressions. This is an incisive study
that is meticulously researched and elegantly writ-
ten. Although Jenkins’s work may appeal more to
scholars of Turkish studies, one can but hope that
his book will be read by well-informed policy-
makers. Jenkins reaches beyond facile metaphors
of Turkey as a bridge – a model for the Muslim
world – indicating the extent to which it is a
unique case. Understanding the development of
Islam in Turkey is to understand the complicated
identity of this important state.
Pinar Tank
Kalyvas, Stathis N.; Ian Shapiro & Tarek
Masoud, eds, 2008. Order, Conflict, and Violence.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. xii +
436 pp. ISBN 9780521722391.
Order, Conflict, and Violence is part of a series
of books coming out of the Yale political sci-
ence department’s initiative ‘Rethinking Politi-
cal Order’. Under the leadership of one of the
editors of this volume, Ian Shapiro, the mem-
bers of the department decided to get rid of the
obviously nonsensical convention of dividing
political science departments up into Interna-
tional Relations, Comparative Politics, American
Politics and Political Theory camps. Instead,
they decided to structure the department along
substantive lines, and ‘Order, Conflict, and Vio-
lence’ is one of these themes. The book brings
together a number of very interesting essays on
an array of issues ranging from sexual violence
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