The topic of this study is the employment of PMSCs by the UN in both military and peacekeeping operations. The question that this study seeks to answer is whether the legal principles of IHL and...Show moreThe topic of this study is the employment of PMSCs by the UN in both military and peacekeeping operations. The question that this study seeks to answer is whether the legal principles of IHL and the regime on international responsibility are able to regulate the use of PMSCs. The findings of this study are that these systems are not able to do so, due to the misalignment between international law and international reality. Whereas the applicability of the principles of IHL can be extended to PMSCs, there is a clear accountability gap, as the current regime on international responsibility is not able to adequately regulate the use of PMSCs. Therefore, this study offers a new regime, in accordance to which PMSCs are granted international legal personality. Indeed, the principles of international law reflect out-dated, state centric assumptions about the international system, which do not reflect the twenty-first century and the rise of PMSCs.Show less
