Private Military and Security Companies
31 Articles
How Congress Should Designate Russia a State Sponsor of Terrorism
A better approach would be for Congress to impose additional targeted sanctions on Russia, but not through the one-size-fits-all state sponsor of terrorism designation.
Preventing the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Mali from Falling into Irrelevance
With the UN Security Council considering renewal of MINUSMA's mandate, are there ways it can better address the range of security threats?
Complicity in a War of Aggression: Private Individuals’ Criminal Responsibility
How criminal liability could extend to Wagner Group senior executives and other “private” actors in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
National Security Last Week at the United Nations (March 26 – April 2)
EU, UN Conduct Brussels V Pledging Conference on Syria Crisis; Secretary of State Blinken Urges Security Council to Increase Humanitarian Access in Syria On March 29-30, the European…
Shareholder Resolution Asks How Northrop Grumman Implements its Human Rights Policy
Welfare and national security risks could be mitigated by active implementation of Northrop's human rights policy.
Thoughts on Erik Prince’s Proposal to Privatize Intelligence Gathering
This week we learned, via the Intercept, of Erik Prince’s proposal to provide the Trump Administration with a private intelligence outfit. According to the Intercept, “The…
When Erik Prince Called US Intelligence Assessment of Russian Election Hack “too cute and very, very thin”
Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, testifies on Thursday afternoon before the House Intelligence Committee in the Russia investigation. The committee will later release a…
Erik Prince’s ‘New Band of Flying Tigers’ is a Sequel We Don’t Need
It shouldn’t be too surprising that in his recent New York Times op-ed calling for an infusion of private contractors into Afghanistan, Erik Prince sidestepped any discussion…
A Legal and Policy Risk Analysis of the Erik Prince Plan to Privatize War in Afghanistan
Trump administration officials reportedly are considering a plan to privatize a significant portion of the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Erik Prince, founder of the notorious security…
When is a Mercenary (Not) a Mercenary? The Case of Foreign Fighters in the UAE’s Military
When the going gets tough, politics tends to trump law, and words start to lose meaning. You can see it in the culture of sloppiness and misdirection that has developed around…
Foreign Fighters, Mercenaries, and Private Military Companies Under International Law
Editor’s Note: This is the third post in a miniseries about the International Committee of the Red Cross’s newly released Report on International Humanitarian Law and the Challenges…
Drones and Contractor Mission Creep
I have written previously about the transparency, oversight, and accountability issues that outsourcing aspects of the U.S. drone program can pose – issues that often get lost…