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An Unorthodox Soldier: Peace and War and the Sandline Affair. An Autobiography. By Lieutenant-Colonel Tim Spicer, OBE. Edinburgh, UX: Mainstream Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-84018-180-X. Photographs. Index. Pp. 240. L15.99.
Tim Spicer's An Unorthodox Soldier is an autobiographical apologia rationalizing the activities of Sandline International, which gained notoriety in 1999 for its arms sales to Sierra Leone. Arguing that private military companies can play a legitimate role in resolving conflicts in developing nations, the author cites his own military career in an effort to distinguish firms like Sandline from the popular conception of mercenaries. As the company's website states: "Our purpose is to offer governments and other legitimate organizations specialist military experience at a time when western national desire to provide active support to friendly governments, and to support them...