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E-book
Author Thomas, Kevin J. A., author.

Title Contract workers, risk, and the war in Iraq : Sierra Leonean labor migrants at US military bases / Kevin J.A. Thomas
Published Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, [2017]
©2017

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Description 1 online resource (viii, 243 pages)
Series Human dimensions in foreign policy, military studies, and security studies ; 5
Human dimensions in foreign policy, military studies, and security studies ; 5.
Contents Risk and the determinants of labor migration -- Social transitions, jobs, and migration in Sierra Leone -- Recruiting workers and preparing for migration -- Supporting the US mission in Iraq -- The downsides of contract work -- Return migration, reintegration, and "blood dollars" -- Making migration work
Summary "In 2003, just before the start of the US invasion of Iraq, military planners predicted that the mission's success would depend on using diverse sources for their workforce. While thousands of US troops were needed to secure victory in the field, large numbers of civilian contractors--many from poor countries in Africa and Asia--were recruited to provide a range of services for the occupying forces. In Contract Workers, Risk, and the War in Iraq Kevin Thomas provides a compelling account of the recruitment of Sierra Leonean workers and their reasons for embracing the risks of migration. In recent years US military bases have outsourced contracts for services to private military corporations who recruit and capitalize on cheaper low-skilled workers. Thomas argues that for people from post-conflict countries such as Sierra Leone, where there are high levels of poverty and acute unemployment, the opportunity to improve their situation outweighs the risk of migration to war-torn Iraq. Examining migrants' experiences in their native country, their time spent at US bases, and after their return to Sierra Leone, Thomas deftly explores the intricate dynamics of risk, sets up a theoretical framework for future researchers, and offers policy recommendations for decision-makers and practitioners in the field. Incorporating the voices of Sierra Leonean contractors who were manipulated and exploited, Contract Workers, Risk, and the War in Iraq turns the spotlight on a subject that has remained on the periphery of history, and reveals an unexpected consequence of the War on Terror."-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Foreign workers -- Government policy -- United States
Sierra Leoneans -- Employment -- Iraq
Sierra Leoneans -- Social conditions
Sierra Leoneans -- Economic conditions
Military bases, American -- Government policy -- Iraq
Iraq War, 2003-2011.
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Labor.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Labor & Industrial Relations.
Foreign workers -- Government policy
Military bases, American -- Government policy
Iraq
United States
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9780773552159
0773552154
9780773552166
0773552162