Regulating the Privatization of War: How to Stop Private Military Firms from Committing Human Rights Abuses

Abstract

Private Military Firms (PMFs) have recently stepped in to fill the growing global demand for temporary, highly-specialized military services. These private corporations can be a blessing to their client countries in that they offer many economic, military, and political benefits not ordinarily found in standing armies. However, PMFs fall within a gap in international law, which presumes and prefers a monopolization of force by state actors, thereby leaving no effective way to deal with those PMFs that commit human rights abuses. This Note traces the history of private militaries and the applicable legal standards and argues for a coordinated domestic approach among a handful of countries to legitimize and regulate PMFs.