Article

Corporate actors : the legal status of mercenaries in armed conflict

Katherine Fallah

• International review of the Red Cross, Vol. 88, no. 863, September 2006, p. 599-611

English

Corporate actors are taking on an increasingly significant role in the prosecution of modern warfare. Traditionally, an analysis of the law applicable to corporate actors in armed conflict commences with inquiry into the law as it applies to mercenaries. As such, the rise of the private military industry invites a reconsideration of the conventional approach to mercenaries under international law. This article critically surveys the conventional law as it applies to mercenaries, and considers the extent to which corporate actors might meet the legal definitions of a ""mercenary''. It demonstrates that even mercenaries receive protection under international humanitarian law.

• Full text

• International review of the Red Cross / ICRC
• International review of the Red Cross [Vol. 88, no. 863, September 2006] / ICRC