From Bosnia to Baghdad the case for regulating Private Military and Security Companies
BY: RUTA NIMKAR, Private military and security companies (PMSCs) have earned a place in the spotlight recently due primarily to charges of human rights abuses in Iraq. However, the industry has been growing rapidly for over two decades, and has had significant impact on conflicts in Sierra Leone, Bosnia, and Papua New Guinea, among others. This article examines the difference between modern military companies and mercenaries. It then outlines the factors that gave rise to the PMSC industry and analyzes the threats and opportunities associated with PMSC presence. Four case studies are presented and factors associated with positive PMSC intervention are identified. The current state of policy regarding private militaries is reviewed, and the paper closes with suggestions on future policy directions.
Hired soldiers have a long history. Their presence in warfare can be traced to circa 1294 B.C., when King Ramses hired Numidians to fight in the battle of Kadesh between Egypt and the Hittites (Taulbee 1998, 145). At some points in their history, mercenaries have been reviled. After the Hundred Years’ War, Machiavelli accused the mercenary ‘Free Companies’ of fighting only ‘bloodless battles’ – of attempting to avoid engagement with opposition troops (Howard 1976, 17). In other situations, however, mercenaries have gained honor and distinction. The Swiss pike soldiers, for instance, originally fought to keep invaders out of Switzerland. They subsequently hired out their services to parties throughout Europe. In 1502, a regiment of Swiss soldiers was hired to fill out the troops of Pope Julius II. They gained distinction and evolved into the modern Papal Swiss Guard (Singer 2003, 27). The use of mercenaries was not restricted to pre-Westphalian Europe. In the late 1700s, Britain hired German Hessian troops to subdue the American colonies. This policy was not particularly successful – at the end of the Revolutionary War, one third of the Hessians deserted to remain in America (Mockler 1969, 127). The British East India Company and Dutch East India Company hired private armies to protect their commercial interests (Singer 2003, 34). Is Blackwater the modern day Swiss Guard? Is it akin to the violent Hessians? Or are private military firms distinct from their predecessors?
This section will first provide definitions of mercenaries and private contractors and then delineate the differences between the two.