Episode 55. The Privatisation of Warfare: Russian PMC Operations in Africa

Description

Part 3: Corporate Retreat (57:37)
Krieg focuses on PMCs hired by smaller states and the particularly complex legalities of maritime PMCs. An incident on a cargo vessel involves the ship's flag country, the ship's ownership country, the crew employment country, the coastal country, the vessel's departure and arrival countries, as well the countries involved in the PMC itself. This jurisdictional nightmare is part of why PMCs have seen little to no consequences for their actions.

We look at Abu Dhabi's hiring of Reflex Limited in response to the Arab Spring. Initially contracted to use lethal force against any domestic uprisings, they were later used in Yemen and Somalia to pursue the interests of Abu Dhabi, and signify the key role that the UAE has had in expanding and legitimising the use of mercenaries and PMCs in active conflicts, not just security.

We get Krieg's view on what the future holds for Privatised Warfare. In his view, PMCs are one part of the increasingly blurring lines between state and non-state actors in geopolitics. Additionally, with many states downgrading their military spending and investment, and security problems around the world increasing, the security gap is only widening, and opening up more and more opportunities for PMCs.

Period	1 Nov 2021
Held at	The Red Line , United States