di Alessandro Gorini
L’avvento dell’età moderna sancì l’avvio di quel lento processo di razionalizzazione del potere che, culminando alla fine del XVIII secolo, determinò il trionfo delle entità statali su ogni altro centro di potere sociale. Oggi, all’interno di quella che viene considerata come l’era della conflittualità postmoderna (Duffield 2008), il ruolo dello Stato sembra aver subito un significativo ridimensionamento.
Abstract
On September 20th, 2001, US President George W. Bush declared “war on terror”. Assuming the role of defenders of freedom, the United States undertook a series of military actions against those who were deemed to be part of the new “axis of evil”. The aim of the new US crusade was to eliminate all possible threats to the international security. This mission involved both state and non-state actors. Indeed, during the military operations launched in the Middle East, the United States could count on Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) support. Coming onstage at the end the of Cold War, and confirming their role in international arena over the next few decades, these Companies have increasingly become an alternative to the traditional State’s monopoly on violence. This paper provides a brief introduction on the key factors behind the PMSCs escalation in the US military policy and gives an in-depth analysis of the role that PMSCs played during the Iraqi occupation.