A. Barton Hinkle: Let Private Armies Fight ISIS

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Credit: U.S. Marine Corps

If the United States does not want to go to war with the Islamic State, why not let mercenaries do it? The thought has occurred to many, including Eric Prince, the founder of Blackwater (now called Academi) and Simon Mann, a British special-forces veteran who successfully led a private army in Sierra Leone.

The idea has been roundly panned, for obvious reasons: It would give Washington all of the responsibility for engaging in conflict without any of the operational control. But A. Barton Hinkle isn't so sure. Why not give private armies a chance?