1st Edition

Normalising Private Military Force US Media Discourse and the Legitimization of Private Security Companies in Iraq

By Christopher Kearney Copyright 2026
274 Pages 9 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

274 Pages 9 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This book examines the normalization of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs), and analyses US media discourse around the Nisour Square incident in Iraq as a pivotal case. States are increasingly relying on PMSCs to meet security needs. As a sign of ongoing normalization, these companies are now increasingly targeted by soft law or self-regulation. Rejecting the common claim that... Read more

Introduction  Part I: Developing a Discursive Framework of Analysis  Chapter 1: The Constituent Elements of Discourse  Chapter 2: Presentation and Adaption of the Logics Approach  Chapter 3: Approaching Social Logics through Corpus Linguistics  Chapter 4: Approaching Political Logics through Coding  Chapter 5: Approaching Fantasmatic Logics through Fantasy  Part II: Empirical Application  Chapter 6: Problematizing Security Contractors  Chapter 7: Guards, Contractors, and Mercenaries in the Media  Chapter 8: A Culture of Impunity  Chapter 9: Lacunae in the Law  Chapter 10: The Entrenched Antagonization of the Bush Administration  Chapter 11: Conclusion, Reflection, and Critique

Biography

Christopher Kearney is Project Manager at the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, Germany, and has a PhD from the University of Bamberg, Germany.

‘A compelling voice in the next generation of Essex School scholars, Kearney delivers a theoretically sophisticated and analytically rigorous piece of work. Methodologically innovative in combining poststructuralist discourse analysis with corpus linguistics, this monograph makes a substantial contribution to Critical Security Studies.’

Jason Glynos, University of Essex, UK

 

‘Through a highly sophisticated and meticulous analysis of the discourse surrounding the Nisour Square incident, Kearney’s monograph offers an innovative look at social, political and affective processes that contributed to further normalizing Private Military Companies during the Iraq War.’

Monika Heupel, University of Bamberg, Germany