It's just another war!

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to raise awareness and the level of debate on a significant new development in international law.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes a historical overview in considering current approaches to the phenomenon of private military corporations (PMCs) and uses case examples to discuss the issues raised.

Findings

The paper concludes that the phenomenon raises many issues that need further analysis, such as the outcome of this phenomenon on the future of democracy in sovereign states.

Research limitations/implications

The topic allows for much further research into such matters as definitional, jurisdictional and enforceability issues with regard to corporate entities known as PMCs.

Practical implications

For peace and human rights to prevail in democracies in which the state maintains the monopoly on the use of force, the paper argues that PMCs should be prohibited rather than subjected to mere regulation.

Originality/value

The paper is the first to use the term “preyfits” in describing the actions of transnational corporations. While most scholars argue for regulation of PMCs, this paper argues for their total prohibition.

Citation

Collins, P. (2008), "It's just another war!", Social Responsibility Journal, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 366-377. https://doi.org/10.1108/17471110810892866