Mercenary Industry - Political Forum

CHUQ · #1 (**permalink**) 04-28-2007, 06:11 AM

And interesting report and I would say that it is probably more like a worldwide prob, not localized.

The United Nations quietly released a report in March exposing an array of human rights abuses associated with a growing mercenary industry that is recruiting large numbers from Latin American countries.

"We have observed that in some cases the employees of private military and security companies enjoy an immunity which can easily become impunity, implying that some States may contract these companies in order to avoid direct legal responsibilities," said Jose Luis Gomez del Prado, Chairperson-Rapporteur of the U.N. Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries, in a statement before the Human Rights Council.

ZNet |Latin America | U.N.: Mercenary Industry Poses Problems for Latin America

Brother Oz · #2 (**permalink**) 04-28-2007, 07:11 AM

PMCs are becoming bigger and more used across the world. It's a well known fact that many countries use them for legal reasons, especially brutal dictatorships who can't use much in the way of advanced weaponry due to sanctions on weapons imports.

CHUQ · #3 (**permalink**) 04-29-2007, 08:15 AM

I believe that once Adi Amin had been diposeed he used Israeli security while he was living in France. So, IMO, you are right.

Clay Hamilton · #4 (**permalink**) 05-05-2007, 01:30 AM

Mercenaries are not all bad.

See "Executive Outcomes." They are a South African military contractor that single-handedly raised an army out of all black Africans and destroyed a rebel force that was committing genocidal acts while outnumbered by much more than 500% using comparable equipment.

And they were ready to get in there in Rwanda. Unfortunatley, the UN dismantled them. Mercenaries, no matter how or why they are led, are apparently bad.

CHUQ · #5 (**permalink**) 05-05-2007, 04:26 AM

I think it is more the term "mercenaries"; they seem to be acceptable if they are called "security contractors".

Brother Oz · #6 (**permalink**) 05-05-2007, 08:16 AM

It doesn't matter what you call them. "Private Military Companies" or "Security Contractors" tends to refer to well-organised companies that are employed by developed world governments though.
But PMCs do vary, in that some will be quite happy to slaughter innocents for a brutal dictator if given enough money, whereas most will only work for what we would probably consider reasonably legitimate causes. For example, huge amounts are employed by the Coalition in Iraq.

They're actually illegal in Britain. We passed a law in the 19th century saying that it was illegal to train or arm an army unless it was for the government. That doesn't stop lots of British people owning or working for them, they just can't train or keep weapons in Britain.

bluanddogs · #7 (**permalink**) 05-05-2007, 09:56 AM

It does not matter what you call PMCs they are only gangs of criminals run by a government when they are used in war. Our government is using them to do thing that our military is prohibited from doing. They are Bush's private little army and we have little or no control over them. They are allowed to break the laws with impunity. Perhaps when they get around to using them locally in the USA against our own citizens we will wake up. I just hope it is not too late.

Clay Hamilton · #8 (**permalink**) 05-06-2007, 01:37 AM

I'd hardly call veterans of the special forces criminals.

vladward8 · #9 (**permalink**) 05-15-2007, 09:33 PM

Most were not criminals. Most were decent honorable young men. There were also some seriously sick puppies. Some "men" find sick puppies usefull...even gather them to do their dirty work.

Brother Oz · #10 (**permalink**) 05-16-2007, 08:41 AM

Most of the better PMCs (by which I mean better armed, better equipped, the sort the west employs) aren't young men, they're veterans of western armies.