Mercs as Peacekeepers

Hi list.

I have a buddy that works at the Canadian Peace Support Training Center.
This kind of discussion of Mercenaries as perhaps better peacekeepers
(professionalism, lack of some of the uglier national agendas, etc) has
been around for a few years now. The UN also sees this in some way as a
chance to put forces into a situation where no main force powers wish to
volunteer (but they might be willing to send a check). Plus there are
cost-efficiency arguments. 

It's an interesting idea. And those who stand against it like the
windbags in the article Glenn posted are just playing for public
attention and going with the obvious anti-war line. If putting a PMC
into a situation can stabilize a country for a time, prevent a pogrom or
ethnic cleansing, and do so more cost effectively than many of the UN
forces without the threat of the troops having personal agendas (since
the UN controls their pay, they have no divided loyalties), then I think
it is time we looked at that option. There are many places where the US
(forex) sticking its nose in would only inflame the situation, but where
some of their money could perhaps allow a private firm to do the job
very effectively. Private companies won't raise local hackles as easily
as foreign national forces might. 

The keys here are supervision, clear rules of operation, clear chains of
command, clear terms of payment, clear standards and legal
understandings governing PMCs. Since many of us hate seeing genocides
going on anywhere, maybe this is one of the ways the world can help
stabilize itself. And since we know armies produce combat capable
soldiers, would we rather have them as bandits, freebooters, or
unregulated guns-for-hire or operating legitemately under particular
clear rules of conduct? Probably the latter, insofar as it can be
achieved. 

And yes, Jon probably just wanted to use Mercs in his game (a la David
Drake), but the idea has turned out to be fairly timely. (Now, by 2100,
who knows? It may be old news!). But for the time being, it just makes
the recently awarded title of St. Jon Illuminatus seem... more
fitting.... in a Bavarian sort of way. 

Tomb.