Real Soldiers Of Fortune

"Real Soldiers of Fortune" is an interesting history book containing essays about prominent people like young Winston Churchill, that influenced the beginning of the 20th century. Other prominent personalities are Captain McGriffin, Major Burnham, and others.

welcome to the consuls along the coasts of Africa and South America as he was at Cowes or Nice. His books of voyages were recognized by geographical societies and other serious bodies, who had given him permission to put long disarrangements of the alphabet after his name. She liked him because she had grown to be at home with him, because it was good to know that there was some one who would not misunderstand her, and who, should she so indulge herself, would not take advantage of any appeal she might make to his sympathy, who would always be sure to do the tactful thing and the courteous thing, and who, while he might never do a great thing, could not do an unkind one...FROM THE BOOKS.

In the cataclysmic decade that is the focus of this book, Nigeria was subject to several near-death experiences. These began when the country nearly tore itself apart after the northern-led military government annulled the results of a 1993 presidential election won by the southerner Moshood Abiola, and ended with former military ruler General Olusegun Obasanjo being the unlikely conduit of democracy. This mini-history of a nation's life also reflects on three mesmerizing protagonists who personified that era. First up is Abiola: the multi-billionaire businessman who had his election victory voided by the generals who made him rich, and who was later assassinated. General Sani Abacha was the mysterious, reclusive ruler under whose watch Abiola was arrested and pro-democracy activists (including Abiola's wife) were murdered. He also oversaw a terrifying Orwellian state security operation. Although Abacha is today reviled as a tyrant, the author eschews selective amnesia, reminding Nigerians that they goaded him into seizing power. The third protagonist is Obasanjo, who emerged from prison to return to power as an elected civilian leader. The penumbra of military rule still looms over Nigeria nearly twenty years after the soldiers departed, and key personalities featured in this book remain in government, including the current president.

Real Soldiers of Fortune

From the jungles of west Africa to the killing fields of the former Yugoslavia, wherever the next global hotspot flares into action, the private military waits, ready to step into the fray. Once they were known as "soldiers of fortune." Now, they call themselves "military advisors." The honourable history of soldiers-for-hire clashes with the modern distaste for "mercenaries." In this compelling and controversial new book, James Davis reveals the shadowy inside world of the multi-billion-dollar international security industry.

"A respectful, but vibrant account of Lynott's rambunctious life and sad end whets the appetite." Uncut ****