Through most of the 20th centuries mercenaries didn’t exist but that was an anomaly - historically mercenaries have always played a major role in conflicts as they are increasing doing in the 21st century. So, who are the mercenaries, who employees them and what impact have they had on warfare.

Guests

Dr Sean McFate is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington DC think tank, and a professor of strategy at the National Defence University and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He is former private military contractor, US Army paratrooper, and has written extensively on the world of mercenaries. Author of Mercenaries and War: Understanding Private Armies Today.

Sarah Percy is an Associate Professor of International relations at the University of Queensland and the author of Mercenaries: The History of a Norm in International Relations. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

Catrina Doxsee, Associate Director and Associate Fellow with the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC.