Outsourcing War: Mercenaries and the Privatization of Peacekeeping
Author(s)
Brayton, Steven
Abstract
For nearly three centuries the accepted international norm was that only nation-states fought wars. Today, however, organizing units unrelated to the nation-state, from terrorists, mercenaries, guerrillas and warlords to non-state militias and private military corporations, conduct war worldwide. Although the form of non-state force varies from one society to the next, the collective effect is the erosion of the state’s monopoly on the use of violence. A growing number of states are unable to protect the political, military, economic, social and cultural life of their citizens. This has important implications for international peacekeeping and peacemaking.
