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 mi- grants’ experiences in their native country, 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 recommen- dations for decision-makers and practitioners in the field. Incorporating the voices of Sierra Leonean contractors who were manipu- lated 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. Kevin J.A. Thomas is associate professor of sociology, demography, and African studies at the Pennsylvania State University. hiv represents not only an unprecedented pandemic but also a site of civil society innovation. In the midst of devastation, activists in sub-Saharan Africa are progressing from traditional forms of advocacy to strategies that engage human rights principles, techniques, and language. Employing a comparative case-study approach, Resilience and Contagion considers the efforts of nine local civil society organizations in Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, and Botswana. Kristi Heather Kenyon examines who adopts rights-based discourse and why, arguing that leadership, individual beliefs, and structure all play a critical role in framing organizations. Beyond changing laws or policies, the most important impact of promoting patients’ rights, she attests, is that it enables individuals living with hiv to interact with health services from a position of resilience, strength, and empowerment. This book delves into discourse at the juncture of human rights, social theory, and global health, prompting significant and relevant discussion on advocacy’s evolution in the region of the world hit hardest by the hiv pandemic. Drawing on 145 interviews, extensive participant observation, and fasci- nating document analysis, Resilience and Contagion foregrounds the voices of civil society actors who have conducted the most vocal, widespread, and innovative advocacy to date. Kristi Heather Kenyon is assistant professor in the human rights program of the University of Winnipeg’s Global College. 2 8 M Q U P F A L L 2 0 1 7 S P E C I F I C AT I O N S Human Dimensions in Foreign Policy, Military Studies, and Security Studies November 2017 978-0-7735-5123-7 $34.95A CDN, $29.95A US, £25.99 paper 978-0-7735-5122-0 $110.00S CDN, $110.00S US, £95.00 cloth 6 x 9 272pp eBook available Contract Workers, Risk, and the War in Iraq Sierra Leonean Labor Migrants at US Military Bases kevin j.a. thomas Understanding why low-skilled workers in developing countries migrated to Iraq to support the US War on Terror. P O L I T I C A L S T U D I E S • I N T E R N AT I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T S P E C I F I C AT I O N S McGill-Queen’s Studies in Gender, Sexuality, and Social Justice in the Global South November 2017 978-0-7735-5099-5 $34.95A CDN, $34.95A US, £29.99 paper 978-0-7735-5098-8 $110.00S CDN, $110.00S US, £95.00 cloth 6 x 9 336pp 15 tables eBook available Resilience and Contagion Invoking Human Rights in African HIV Advocacy kristi heather kenyon An in-depth study of why civil society advocacy groups working on HIV choose the language of rights. I N T E R N AT I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T • P O L I T I C A L S T U D I E S