{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "description": "This felt like more of a primer on Wagner than a comprehensive history. Nonetheless, it’s a compelling explainer of private military companies (PMCs) with Wagner at the heart of it. From the conflict in Ukraine to its presence in Africa and Syria, Wagner has been a force for Russian military abuse and aggression abroad. The Russian pretext for the war in Ukraine is utter nonsense, but Wagner has helped them further their aims (for a price). Blackwater has often been an American analogue and there are many other such PMCs in operation. States maintain the monopoly on the use of force while outsourcing abuses and minimizing casualty reporting. It’s all a rather appalling practice that’s made visibility by Wagner’s recent abuses, but not exclusive to them and their benefactors.",
  "path": "/reading/books/9781639733361/death-is-our-business",
  "publishedAt": "2025-04-01T00:00:00Z",
  "site": "at://did:plc:sttgf52vkk46f6yuknvqxvgh/site.standard.publication/self",
  "tags": [
    "history",
    "nonfiction"
  ],
  "title": "Death Is Our Business"
}