The Military As an Economic Actor : Soldiers in Business

Armed forces across the globe engage in economic activities both in times of war and peace. This book provides a critical analysis of this phenomenon, comparing experiences with 'military business' from four continents (Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America). Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the volume shows the implications of 'military business' for civil-military relations, good governance and international development policies. Armed forces across the globe maintain commercial interests in various sectors of their nation's economy, ranging from pharmaceutical and banking companies in China, logging and shrimp farming in Indonesia to the mining of precious metals in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These activities are often justified by the need of impoverished governments to find new sources of extra-budgetary revenue for the military, as well as by pointing towards the specific role of a nation's military in promoting development. This book provides a critical assessment of this claim, comparing experiences with "military business" from four continents (Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America). While the jury is still out on the macro-economic net effect of this phenomenon, this book finds disturbing cases of corruption and mismanagement, as well as a lack of military professionalism in the countries affected by military business. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the volume shows the implications of "military business" for civil-military relations, good governance and international development policies Front Matter....Pages i-xii Soldiers in Business: An Introduction....Pages 1-17 Military Business in Argentina....Pages 18-31 Soldiers as Businessmen: The Economic Activities of Central America’s Militaries....Pages 32-51 The Rise and Fall of the Chinese Military Business Complex....Pages 52-73 The Economic and Commercial Roles of the Vietnam People’s Army....Pages 74-93 Trifungsi: The Role of the Indonesian Military in Business....Pages 94-123 Power, Perks, Prestige and Privileges: The Military’s Economic Activities in Pakistan....Pages 124-142 Praetorians or Profiteers? The Role of Entrepreneurial Armed Forces in Congo-Kinshasa....Pages 143-169 The Largest European Army in Business: The Case of Russia....Pages 170-186 Conclusion....Pages 187-196 Back Matter....Pages 197-223