WHILE researching the article from last week, “PMC OFW”, I came across the article “Mercenaries and War: Understanding Private Armies Today” written by Sean McFate and posted on ndupress.ndu.edu. McFate writes:
“Annihilating them (mercenaries) is a losing strategy. You can kill individuals but not the market conditions that give rise to mercenarism in the first place. Trying to kill your way out of this problem is playing Whac-A-Mole for mercenaries… The market for force cannot be regulated because mercenaries can kill law enforcement. International public law is feeble and difficult to enforce.”
I agree with his assessment, but I would also add that the rise of mercenaries in the 21st century has more to do with the declining power of states, the decaying post-World War 2 order and the decentralizing effects of technology.
It also doesn’t help that Americans, who are supposed to be the protectors of global stability, are one of the biggest buyers of PMC services.
However, McFate’s biggest concern is the re-emergence of private warfare. He rightfully observes that private warfare was the norm throughout history. It was only the rise of Westernization and European Powers, through their Westphalian System, that normalized state-based warfare.
McFate laments the return of mercenaries into the world. I take the opposite view. I see the return of mercenaries as a net positive for one simple reason: they are a sign that the old, liberal world order is dying, and something new is coming.
In a world where mercenary work is plentiful, expect more chaos but also more decentralization. It will signal the collapse of certain existing international laws and mores. It will also usher in a multipolar world, where different countries and groups will deal with mercenaries in their own ways.
Many will be saddened and perhaps even horrified by this new world, but you should take comfort that with the death of the old, comes the birth of something new, and I, for one, welcome it./PN
