PMC
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The globalization of special forces By Manlio Dinucci
The Special Forces of the U.S. army were created to use their military skills with a focus on conducting unconventional warfare operations, mainly by fomenting riots or assassinating political opponents. Washington secretly deploys them in 78 countries, while denying their existence, even though the budget for their missions exceeds 10 billion dollars annually. The proliferation… Continue reading
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‘Blackwater’ footage: Who are the mercenaries in Ukraine?
Videos have sprung on YouTube alleging that the US private security service formerly known as Blackwater is operating in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. Western press is hitting back, accusing Russia of fabricating reports to justify “aggression.” Continue reading
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The Privatization of War: Mercenaries, Private Military and Security Companies (PMSC) By Jose L. Gomez del Prado
Private military and security companies (PMSC) are the modern reincarnation of a long lineage of private providers of physical force: corsairs, privateers and mercenaries. Mercenaries, which had practically disappeared during the XIXth and XXth centuries, reappeared in the 1960’s during the decolonization period operating mainly in Africa and Asia. Under the United Nations a convention… Continue reading
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Video: Mercenaries and Private Security Companies on Contract with UN By grtv
Former Chairperson of the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries, José L. Gómez del Prado, explains how private military and security companies have created an association to counter the regulations called for by his working group. Continue reading
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CCR Fights Impunity for Military Contractor War Crimes and Torture
This week, CCR and co-counsel filed briefs in our cases on behalf of dozens of Iraqis challenging private military contractor impunity for war crimes and torture at Abu Ghraib and other detention centers in Iraq. Continue reading
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Tony Blair’s Pet Bulldog? The Curious Case of Colonel Tim Spicer By William Bowles
20 May 2006 Tim Spicer (right) is an ex-soldier from the Scots Guards, an elite unit of the British Army, a veteran of Northern Ireland (where he got his OBE) and the Falklands, and he also served in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s. Spicer’s (defunct) company, Sandline International took over from Executive Outcomes (EO) which was Continue reading