The Rise of the Private Military and Security Industry

... understandably so, since mercenarism is illegal under existing international law. Some observers have supported the view that PMSCs and their personnel should not be classified as mercenaries in virtue of their corporate nature and the variety of services they provide to their clients, who have been anything from governments and multinational firms to NGOs and even the United Nations. Others, including former Special Rapporteur on Mercenaries of UN’s Commission on Human ...