Mercenaries and mischief : the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Bill

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Morally, there can be no doubt as to the repugnance of mercenary activity, or any form of private activity which makes a direct contribution to igniting or prolonging violent armed conflict. The decision to intervene and to take sides in an armed conflict is a political one, whether it is made by an international organisation, a regional organisation, a coalition of states, or a single state. When private individuals and companies are allowed to make such decisions, the concept of international law loses all meaning. Privatised soldiers and gunrunners operate in a secretive world. They recruit in an underworld, one shared by international drug cartels, terrorists, and dealers in endangered species.