Military Contractors, Unlawful Combatants and Double Standards: the Questions of Status and Distinction Under International Humanitarian Law

This book will examine the relationship between international humanitarian law and both military contractors and ?unlawful combatants?, with particular attention on the fact that in many current conflicts the treatment, rights and guarantees afforded to the two groups differ quite substantially, with military contractors often times being used openly and in huge numbers by one side to the conflict, while at the same time those deemed to be ?unlawful combatants? in the conflict are denounced and stripped of many legal rights and protections. By examining the relevant elements of international humanitarian law as it currently stands and was originally conceived, it will be shown that in fact in a great many cases military contractors and ?unlawful combatants? share many of the same legal attributes and in fact would seem to occupy the same legal position with regards to IHL, namely that of civilians taking part in hostilities without the legal right to do so.