Possibilities of Using Private Military Companies in Peacekeeping Operations of the United Nations Security Council
Possibilities of Using Private Military Companies in Peacekeeping Operations of the United Nations Security Council

Summary/Abstract: The phenomenon of engaging mercenaries toparticipate in armed conflicts or conduct oper-ations on the verge of war has been known sinceancient times. The first documented mentionsof armed clashes in which mercenaries took partdate back to the 13th century BC and refer to thebattle of Kadesh. Famous formations of Greekhoplites often served the Persian rulers. Theirservices were used by Alexander of Macedon,Hannibal and the rulers of the Roman Empire.Mercenaries developed most intensively duringthe Renaissance, where the city-states of Italy usedmercenary formations. The Germans, the Swissand the Scots were involved in mercenaries. Inthe First Polish Republic, the most well-knownformation of this type was the Lisowczycy (theLisowczyks). It was not until the creation of na-tional armies at the end of the 18th century thatmercenary formations disappeared. For example,the French Constituent Assembly passed a ban on the employment of mercenaries in the French stateon February 28, 1790. The revival of mercenarieswas influenced by the Cold War, especially theperiod of decolonization of Africa. At that time,mercenaries were employed by former colonizerswho did not want to get rid of their dependentterritories, often rich in various types of naturalresources. Mercenaries played a vital role in shap-ing the political landscape of the world. Theirextremely controversial activities were penalizedat the end of the 20th century under internationallegal regulations. It is commonly believed thatthe role of mercenaries has now been taken overby private military companies (from now on:PMCs), which, unlike their predecessors, legallyoperate transnational companies. However, thepurpose of their actions is the same as that ofmercenaries, namely, to offer their services to thehighest bidder. International law entities, transna-tional corporations, NGOs, and organised crimegroups benefit from their support. Nevertheless,their existence has become a fact with which wemust come to terms. Considering the excellentorganization, professionalism and equipment ofPMC employees, one should consider whetherit would be justified to hire these companiesto conduct peacekeeping operations supervisedby the UN Security Council. Of course, theseconsiderations apply to companies whose em-ployees have not violated the applicable normsof international law.

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