Legal Control of the Private Military Corporation

Private military organizations are a new and important feature of the international landscape. They offer control of potential massive violence to the highest bidder with very limited accountability. This book offers critical insights into both the phenomenon and the challenges of and potential for regulation. Private military corporations have nearly 50,000 armed security personnel on the ground in Iraq. That figure rivals the frontline personnel of many armies of the developed world. These corporations can provide everything from Blackhawk helicopters, to fighter jets, and tanks, to five star generals, missile guidance systems training, and interrogators. They stand outside the legal framework for various political, economic and traditional legal reasons. Yet given their formidable firepower and strategic value, not to mention their phenomenal growth over the last fifteen years, they are a force that must be reckoned with. This work, authored by specialists in international law, corporate law, administrative and constitutional law, draws on their combined expertise and propose means of regulating this unique corporation. By examining the history, social context, and critical legal approaches, doctrines, and frameworks, the authors point to various means of developing regulation for the phenomenon Front Matter....Pages i-xii Introduction....Pages 1-10 Private Military Companies: The New Face of War....Pages 11-32 The Corporate Form and the Private Military Corporation....Pages 33-65 The State, Control of Violence, and the Private Military Corporation....Pages 66-109 National Regulation of Private Military Companies....Pages 110-142 Private Military Firms under International Law....Pages 143-172 Conclusion Taming the Wild Dogs....Pages 173-176 Back Matter....Pages 177-252