The Impact of Mercenaries and Private Military and Security Companies on Civil War Severity between 1946 and 2002

Petersohn, Ulrich ORCID: 0000-0002-2423-5264 (2014) The Impact of Mercenaries and Private Military and Security Companies on Civil War Severity between 1946 and 2002. International Interactions: Empirical and Theoretical Research in International Relations, 40 (2). pp. 191-215.

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Abstract

Research has long abandoned the view that only states wage war. On the contrary, civil war research has produced an impressive body of literature on violent non-state actors. Still, a particular group of actors—mercenaries—has been widely neglected so far, although they have participated in numerous conflicts in the second half of the twentieth century. Whether their presence aggravated or improved the situation is a matter of dispute. Some believe that the additional military capabilities provided by mercenaries help to end civil wars quickly without increased bloodshed, while others deem mercenaries greedy and bloodthirsty combatants who contribute to making civil wars more brutal, while a third opinion differentiates between different types of mercenaries. This article tests the impact of mercenaries on civil war severity. The evidence indicates that the presence of both mercenaries and private military and security contractors increases its severity.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	## TULIP Type: Articles/Papers (Journal) ##
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Civil War, Mercenary, Private military and security company, Severity
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	19 Mar 2019 10:46
Last Modified:	19 Jan 2023 00:56
DOI:	10.1080/03050629.2014.880699
Related URLs:	Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3034495