Private military and security contractors have been the focus of international attention in recent years, largely due to their prominent role in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Given the increased public scrutiny of private military and security contractors (PMSCs), there have been...

The paper is concerned with private military contractors, their expanding use and the challenges this poses to a system in which private actors – at least so far – have been considered to be acting outside of existing international accountability structures. The paper proceeds from a brief...

Numerous scandals arising from the United States government’s increased use of armed private military contractors have drawn attention to the contractors’ legally ill-defined position. But the complexity of the contractors’ relation to various bodies of law and doctrine — including...

Part I of this article takes a brief tour through military history on the consistent use of mercenaries through the ages, which Peter Singer illuminates masterfully in Corporate Warriors. Next, a brief overview on the binding nature (or not) of international custom and treaty is explored in Part...

Armed conflict and occupation are by definition necessarily violent for all participants, be they civilians or combatants. However, for women it heralds an exacerbation in existing violence, discrimination and inequalities. While international humanitarian law (IHL) has dedicated or ‘special'...