Privatization of Warfare: Back to the Future

摘要

It is a very old practice for rulers to fight some or all their wars by hiring foreigners, military skilled groups and individuals who have no special ideological stake in the conflict at hand. Loosely speaking, these hired soldiers are grouped together as 'mercenaries.' At the beginning of the 21st century, when various entities-states, corporations, political movements, etc.-find themselves in need of military or large-scale security services, hiring mercenaries is an obvious recourse. When even major states are reducing their armed forces and showing less interest in foreign military adventures because of pinched economic circumstances or political constraints and a changed geo-political environment, smaller states may be doubly motivated to go the presumably cheaper mercenary route. During the 1990's a number of corporations termed 'private military companies' have sprung up to service this demand. This evolution is likely to continue and even to expand. It will change the character of war. As states, their military forces and international organizations prove less capable or unwilling to meet the security threats, more and more of the functions now performed by national armed forces will be assumed by private military companies. The level of privatization of warfare will vary in an inversely proportional way to the interests at stake. Nation- states as well as international organizations will outsource their military activities.