View Statement
National governments have no business in contracting private military contractors to help in any duty of national defense. National defense is the prerogative of the national government it is important to check how it is executed, who executes it and if there are any actions that if used, would be counter productive. This is done so as to be in line with the basic human rights as set by the international laws. All responsible governments should exercise lots of caution in handling of security operations in order to maintain stability. Security operations should strictly be executed by recognized government personnel. Sandel (2009 1) says “everywhere people prefer insiders to outsiders, and take pleasure in hurting those who violate personal integrity or social rules”. When the services of private militias are enlisted usually the mission is dirty and dangerous and it is supposed to be a secret. In its wake it leaves lots of deaths, abuse of human rights, and all sorts of atrocities. Governments that use hired militia mostly use them in assignments they would rather not involve their personnel since it’s easier to cover their tracks. United States has on several occasions enlisted the services of militia through the CIA to execute some of what can be considered as dirty security jobs like kidnappings and assassinations in the course of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
View Proponent
Conflict has led to serious divisions and even subsequent wars within the society. In an endeavor to protect and defend their property and territory, groups emerge take arms soldiers are trained, some are kept on stand by and they are called for some special assignments. These groups are called mercenaries or militias, they take several forms depending on the situation they operate on, some are big platoons capable of toppling a government, others that are rag tag armies which wreck havoc to innocent people, others are smaller organized gangs which mostly specialize on dirty jobs such as murder, threatening, kidnappings and assaults and even stage robberies. Since the use of this militia is irregular, that here are episodes of free time, they gangs have to come up with a sources of raising revenue.
These gangs will be involved with hordes of illegal and clandestine activities such as Smuggling, piracy, gun running, extortion amongst other crimes as a source of alternative funding. Despite the fact that all countries in the world have militias, the world can not condone their continued use since this will never make this world any safer or better. The worst thing is the trickle down effect whereby there is a serious problem of insecurity world wide due to proliferation of small arms. Black water is one model of a private military which is based in the United States and has been operational for over ten years, its recruits include former death squad team leaders from El Salvador, former military officers who committed atrocities in Chile, and brainwashed soldiers from Central and South America. All its recruits are former “Special” soldiers known for their cruelty with a history smeared in blood.
Conclusion
The concept of having criminals for hire in form of militias can be a study of hired help and market morals. Scahill (2007 1) cites an example of the privatization of war in Iraq and Afghanistan where. “Blackwater has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of US government contracts which are shrouded in secrecy and devoid of any accountability.” The use of militias will oversee a systematic replacement of the rule of the law with rules of the jungle with the militias riding roughshod on earth. Commercialization of power through guns is a dangerous tread. Criminals with the financial muscle hire militias to propagate their interests and agendas and this puts world security at jeopardy.
Works Cited:
Sandel Michael J, (2009) what is the right thing to do.?
Scahill Jeremy (2007) Black Water: The rise of World’s most powerful mercenary army, Nation Books, United States. Web.