Legend Of Bagger Vance

THE PROFESSION By Steven Pressfield

The world has a long history of paid armies. Today in Iraq and Afghanistan there are more private contractors than conventional military soldiers. Most recently Erik Prince, the wealthy founder of Blackwater Worldwide, was hired by one of the leaders of the United Arab Emirates to create a mercenary army to protect the country’s interests. According to a recent article in the New York Times, “In outsourcing critical parts of their defense to mercenaries . . . the Emirates have begun a new era in the boom in wartime contracting that began after the Sept. 11, 2011 attacks.” While this news came as a surprise to many, Pressfield has been talking about this very scenario for years.

“Pressfield dominates the military thriller genre.” — Library Journal

“Pressfield’s military thriller stands out from the crowd by speculating on what the next generation of warfare will be like and then dropping the reader right into the action. Clancy fans should give this a shot.” —Booklist

“Pressfield’s impressive research shows throughout this novel . . . a book that paints an all-too-plausible future in which America outsources its dirtiest jobs.”—Kirkus Reviews

While set a generation into the future, the core of Steven Pressfield’s explosive and brutally realistic military thriller THE PROFESSION (Crown; $25.00 hardcover; on sale June 14, 2011), is not so far-fetched. Pressfield, an ex-Marine who has a deep knowledge of historical and current mercenary warfare, posits a world in which combatants, serving for hire, have been cut loose from the traditional rules of war and are no longer bound by the standards of honor that have long governed Western armies. In his research, questions of right and wrong arose. What are the ramifications of having so many contractors on the ground? For whom do they fight? What does honor consist of in an age where the concept seems almost abandoned by society at large? Does a fighting man require a flag or a cause to claim a code of honor?

The year is 2032. The third Iran-Iraq war is over, the 11/11 dirty bomb attack on the port of Long Beach, California, is fading into memory, and Saudi Arabia has recently quelled a coup. Everywhere military force is for hire. These powerful, cutting-edge mercenary armies are the only means the world’s governments and corporations have to control global chaos and protect their riches.

Paco Enterprises: The Obama/Paco debates (or, The Legend of Bagger ...

Pants: You could say that. But I’m not really about laying down rules. I’m about helping people find themselves, and one thing I’ve learned from a lifetime of observation is that every man has a swing that’s just right for him. It’s inside of him, see? Waiting to get out. Now, take you, for example. You’ve probably been going to the left your whole life long. Associating with commies and radicals and even retired terrorists. Pants: Man, your swing is you ! Hanging out with all those parlor revolutionaries in college and during your community organizing days, that stuff gets in your blood, it turns everything you do into a hook. But the flag’s not off to the left. It’s straight in front of you. Whether in golf or in life – and it’s all one – you’ve got to loosen your grip a little, set aside your stubborn prejudices, and go for the flag, ‘cause that flag ain’t coming to you.

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