Another interesting example of how LeCarré had kept himself abreast of the challenges and issues of modern hidden government, or Deep State to borrow an expression from Turkish politics.
In this book he looks at the darker relationships between government and corporate security businesses like Haliburton and Blackhawk. He explores the logic (business logic) of privatizing intelligence gathering and also secret mission work. There is a terrible temptation there that capitalist enterprises cannot resist. There is also no accountability, no one with even half an eye on the truth. He points out how naive and vulnerable governments are in their interactions and negotiations with such firms. Privatization as an exploration, as a meeting point, of government vulnerability and business greed. Government comes across as the dupes (just like in the current situation with government power contracts in Ontario). This even touches the larger issue seemingly peculiar to our time - why leaders of both public and large corporate entities are so susceptible to the master bullshitters of the world; the people who are good at bullshit and little else (besides of course enriching themselves as much as possible at others' expense).
It also explores the vulnerability of the whistle-blower, the righteous citizen, the moral messenger, at the hands of large, corrupt government and big business.
As a book, not quite his usual gripping, compelling stuff, but still very readable and exploring some interesting ideas.
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