POLITICAL ASPECTS OF MERCENARISM

Abstract

The mercenary institute has historically established itself as an extremely effective tool of the “power economy”, the goal of which is the non-economic coercion of a competitor, or its complete destruction as a factor in increasing its own competitiveness. The mercenarism used to realize political and economic expansion was and remains an indispensable institution of military policy. Nowadays hired armed forces also acts as a key tool of the “power economy”, the most in demand in conflicts related to the seizure and redistribution of natural resources and the retention of strategic communications necessary for their transportation. The author notes that private military and security companies, not falling under the category of mercenarism in the classical sense of this definition, essentially serve the same purposes and have similar characteristics. Despite the obvious differences they serve a specific purpose - expansion in the interests of elite groups. It is appropriate to talk about two types of modern mercenary formations: private corporate armies and corporate-state armed formations of a mixed type.