Activities of private military and security companies: issues of legitimacy and law

Abstract

The article examines the assessment of the activities of private military and security companies through the prism of the legitimacy of their activities, the legitimacy of the decisions of the authorities on the basis of which they act and the legal norms regulating these relationships. An important issue is the difference in the legitimacy of state institutions, such as the army and the police, which traditionally implement the functions of the state associated with the monopoly on the use of force and private military and security companies, historically dating back to mercenary groups. The author touches upon the role of various national approaches to the regulation of PMSCs and their impact on public perception of their activities. The main conclusions of this study are to highlight the importance of the issue of the legitimacy of the activities of private military and security companies and the legitimacy of government orders for a balanced legal assessment of existing legislation, its problems and prospects for development. The philosophical and political dimension of the legitimacy problem makes it possible to expand the view of the situation for political actors and legislators in order to be able not only to create retrospective norms that can only respond to crisis situations in a limited way and not keep up with the development of the industry, but also to establish promising parameters that form the legal basis for the activities of private military and security companies.