International Legal Status of Private Military Companies

Abstract

The modern world with constantly emerging international contradictions and military conflicts attempts to react adequately to existing challenges. To this end, private military companies (PMCs) have become increasingly in demand by states, multinational corporations, and international organizations. Employees of these companies differ fundamentally from classical mercenaries: PMCs as corporate entities contract legally hired parties. Interaction with participants in international relations allows private military companies to act independently; however, the documents required to regulate their activities are absent, entailing extremely negative consequences. This article gives a history of the PMC phenomenon, considers the current situation involving their participation in armed conflicts, and analyzes the existing international legal documents, which may become prototypes of the legislative framework for PMCs.