As
of 2022, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute,
more than 50 states around the world were experiencing armed conflicts. Many of
these conflicts are more than a decade old, such as the Yemen crisis, the
Syrian civil war, and conflicts in the Sahel region.
When
we examine these conflicts more closely, we can identify that multiple parties
are involved in these crisis. These parties include the government of the state
in question, factions supported by external powers, and interest groups. These
interest groups often engage in activities like smuggling contraband items and
drug trafficking.
In
trying to comprehend why these conflicts have lasted for so long, despite the
presence of governments actively working to quell violence, arms embargoes
designed to limit the flow of weapons into conflict zones, and the existence of
institutions such as the United Nations and regional bodies like the African
Union's ECOSOCC dedicated to resolving disputes, the simple answer lies in the
involvement of mercenaries.
Why are mercenaries hired in modern
warfares?
1. The
USA faced intense domestic pressure during the Vietnam Crisis, which finally
forced the country to withdraw its military from the conflict. When nations use
mercenaries in situations like these,
they frequently enjoy a degree of impunity and protection from public scrutiny.
Due
to their status as independent contractors driven largely by financial gain,
mercenaries may be less influenced by public opinion than normal armed troops.
Governments may benefit from some flexibility in their foreign policy choices
as a result, enabling them to pursue their objectives with fewer domestic
limitations.
2. Mercenaries
are not regular army soldiers engaged in a conflict, they don’t fall under any
definitions of United Nations convention like the Geneva Convention or Paris
Principle, this creates loopholes that benefit countries employing mercenaries.
3. Mercenaries
are used to protect critical assets or investments of countries in conflict
zones. They are often called as corporate mercenaries. Example, Evro Polis is a
private military company employed by Syrian government to protect its oil field
in conflict regions, they are paying this group with 25% of oil revenue of oil
field.
4. Cyberspace
has evolved as a latest arena of warfare, countries are hiring CyberMercenaries
to steal critical data of countries without having to take blame for it.
5. Mercenaries
function as freelance entities, typically charging around $500 to $1000 per day
per person. This cost-effective approach offers regular armies relief from
becoming overstretched.
Will the endless wars ever end?
Machiavelli held
the belief that mercenary armies were inherently unreliable, a concept he
referred to as "bloodless wars." His rationale behind this
perspective was that mercenary armies, driven by self-interest, were often
hesitant to completely defeat their opponents. The reason for this hesitancy
was the fear of eliminating a potential employer.
If
we go by this view today, it’s very much evident as long as mercenaries are
involved these endless wars are never going to end as it might put them out of
work. Wagner group can be seen as example in this case, they tried attacking
their employers when few demands of their were not met by Russian Government,
due to which military advantages were gained by Ukraine which indirectly has
prolonged the war.
War
is one of oldest business in human history to remain in power, today
mercenaries industry has become a multi billion dollar industry employing more
than 5 to 7 lakh fighters (example G4S Security has more than 6 lac employees
and Wagner group has around 50000 fighters), even if nations try to reduce
their dependence, will they be able to do so is a big question.
