The private military company Blackwater facing International Humanitarian Law in the Iraq War: Analysis of the Nisour Square case
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14203775
Keywords:
Humanitarian Law, International Law of Armed Conflicts, private military companies, Blackwater, Iraq War, mercenariesAbstract
This research aims to find factual and legal elements relating to the actions of the Private Military Company Blackwater USA in the events at Nisour Square, which took place in 2007, during the Iraq War, when the contracted company apparently carried out acts typical of a member of the armed forces, killing seventeen Iraqis. The work points out possible solutions, in line with International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law, in the face of Blackwater's belligerent practices. The international legislative framework in force in 2007 is used, as well as rulings from the International Court of Justice, to indicate another legal path that could be used at the time. A dialogue is also established with legislative innovations following the events in Nisour Square. The aim is, therefore, to establish a clearer understanding of the performance of Private Military Companies in the theater of operations and the possible implications under International Law. In this way, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the two Additional Protocols of 1977 are interpreted, combined with customary rules, but the discussion is also linked to contemporary norms, which shed more objective light on legal aspects, regarding the use of companies hired to act in armed conflicts.
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