Private Armies

[erowe1]

Who are the private armies responsible to? What if WalMart financed one with their own money and decided to take over China? How would one deal with any domestic abuses by a private army?

Say perhaps they wanted to extort money from local citizens for their own pay or forcebly conscript people?

There's a label for what you're describing, "the state."

[JackieDan]

What if the supposed soldier is fighting with an enemy of the host country? If Private armies should exist they must be recognized and regulated. Also, they should not replace a standing army.

[erowe1]

What if the supposed soldier is fighting with an enemy of the host country? If Private armies should exist they must be recognized and regulated. Also, they should not replace a standing army.

Recognized and regulated by whom?

And if these armies existed during peace time, wouldn't they by definition be standing armies?

[dannno]

For attacking other nations? No

For defending your land, group, state, or nation? Yes

What about defense of your property outside of the country?

The thing is, I can totally see how corporations might benefit from getting together and forming armies or private security in order to help ensure the safe transport of their goods and services back to the US.

However. The key is that THEY need to pay for it because otherwise they get a security force with unlimited funds (the US DOD) and they end up using it to go against the will of the people in those areas and install dictators, start wars, etc..

The other key is information transparency, we need to be able to relay what these corporations are doing overseas so that we as consumers can determine if their security is acting in a responsible way so that we don't end up getting blowback for what the security for US corporations is doing overseas that I as a consumer am funding.

[LoneStarLocke]

What about defense of your property outside of the country?

The thing is, I can totally see how corporations might benefit from getting together and forming armies or private security in order to help ensure the safe transport of their goods and services back to the US.

However. The key is that THEY need to pay for it because otherwise they get a security force with unlimited funds (the US DOD) and they end up using it to go against the will of the people in those areas and install dictators, start wars, etc..

The other key is information transparency, we need to be able to relay what these corporations are doing overseas so that we as consumers can determine if their security is acting in a responsible way so that we don't end up getting blowback for what the security for US corporations is doing overseas that I as a consumer am funding.

I could see that being legitimate. Isn't that what major security firms already do though? I suppose Walmart could create a security team that could consist of military-grade weaponry to protect shipments if they so chose.

But what if a scuffle breaks out and the foreign nation called it an act of aggression? Would the corporation be sued?

[Crackerjaxon]

What happens when Exxon's army pisses of the wrong warlord and said warlord retaliates by nuking Boston?

[nayjevin]

What if the supposed soldier is fighting with an enemy of the host country? If Private armies should exist they must be recognized and regulated. Also, they should not replace a standing army.

What happens when Exxon's army pisses of the wrong warlord and said warlord retaliates by nuking Boston?

I am afraid of ____. Therefore government.

[Feeding the Abscess]

What happens when Exxon's army pisses of the wrong warlord and said warlord retaliates by nuking Boston?

How would Exxon afford nukes and massive armies? The only way the government can manage this is because it expropriates from everybody.

[erowe1]

I don't understand where the people who said no are coming from.

For those of you who did, what maximum number would you set for how many body guards I should be allowed to hire?

[Seraphim]

NO maximum. It's ur damn money and if you feel like bankrupting yourself over your paranoia, go for it.

Now if you start commanding those guards to activately violate the property of others...there will be hell to pay, one way or another.

I don't understand where the people who said no are coming from.

For those of you who did, what maximum number would you set for how many body guards I should be allowed to hire?