ABSTRACT
Mercenary warriors have generally had a bad name over the centuries, and never more so perhaps than in the last third of the twentieth century. Problems with the meaning of the word “mercenary” have plagued popular and technical discussions over the centuries and are reflected in much contemporary debate, especially about legal measures to be taken against mercenaries. The conjoined definition does not, perhaps, provide a perfect fit with usage because there are certain cases which would be excluded but would not be in common conversation. Colonel Mike Hoare, for instance, was not, it seems, in the killing business primarily for money, though most of his military colleagues were. The chapter deals with Machiavelli who provides several reasons for objecting to mercenary forces, all of which are moral in fashion. Even were Machiavelli right about the relative non-belligerancy of mercenaries, it is not clear that this would constitute a decisive objection to their use.
