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Mercenaries, "Premodern" Soldiers
10/10/2007 By Mariano Aguirre
The scandal surrounding the Blackwater private security firm in Iraq shows that the delegation of state powers to profit-making non-state actors has many dangers. First, international and national law is undermined, as is the case of the US occupation of Iraq. On the other hand, the basic principle of state authority, that of a monopoly on the use of force, is threatened.
Article published in La Vanguardia, 9 de Octubre 2007
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Keywords
Conflict Iraq Middle East Security ViolenceRelated publications
Bio author: Mariano Aguirre
Mariano Aguirre is Director of the Norwegian Peacebuilding Centre in Oslo, and a fellow of the Transnational Institute. Former Director of Peace, Security and Human Rights at FRIDE.
