Volume 4 | Private military and security companies in international law

Private military and security companies (PMSUs) like Blackwater (now Xe Services, now Academi) have increasingly participated in military operations for over twenty years. Such companies operate all over the world. The range of clients is correspondingly wide: in addition to states, individual armed groups, private companies, the United Nations and other international organizations, non-governmental organizations and the International Committee of the Red Cross also use the services of PMSU. The military services provided by private companies in such operations range from comparatively harmless logistical support to the training of soldiers and combat operations. During these operations, PMSU employees are also repeatedly victims. In March 2004 in Fallujah, Iraq, four employees of the Blackwater company were lynched by Iraqi "insurgents" and their charred corpses were dragged through the city and then hung from a bridge for hours. Again, Blackwater operatives killed at least 14 innocent Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in September 2007, DynCorp operatives ran a prostitution ring in the former Yugoslavia, and several CACI International and Titan operatives were implicated in the Abu Ghraib scandal. So far, unlike the US soldiers involved in the Abu Ghraib scandal, none of them have been held accountable. There is still a great deal of uncertainty in science and practice as to how these companies are to be dealt with legally and, consequently, also politically. There is often talk of a "legal gray area" because there is no clarity about the status of the staff deployed in conflict areas and the associated rights and obligations, nor about the consequences of acting in violation of international law. In particular, the question of the combatant or civilian status of employees is of existential importance. Although international or national regulation or even a ban on PMSUs does not appear to be achievable in the near future, a comprehensive analysis of the international law applicable to companies and their employees and its effects is essential in preparing for such regulation. Therefore, the author comprehensively examines the phenomenon of private military and security companies from the perspective of international law and, based on this, evaluates the consequences of the actions of such companies, in particular with regard to the international legal responsibility of the states concerned and the international criminal responsibility of the persons involved.

Details

• Title: Private Military and Security Companies in International Law
• Author: Dr. Karl Molle
• Series: Cologne writings on peacekeeping law
• Edition: 1st edition
• Band: 4
• Publisher: Prof. Dr. Claus Kress
• Released: 1st edition 04/27/2015
• Subject: Law
• Product Type: Book (Hardcover)
• Product type: Dissertation
• Language: German, English
• Binding: Softcover (paperback)
• Dimensions: 21.0 x 14.8 cm (DIN A5)
• Scope: 584 pages
• Condition: New (shrink-wrapped in foil)
• Keywords: military, PMSU, private military and security companies, international criminal law

Downloads

9783863761394_Contents_KS4

9783863761394_Leseprobe_KS4