International Security & Crime

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones have been used in military operations for over a century. As the name implies, they are to be flown without a physical pilot or a crew present. The first UAVs were created and tested in the United Kingdom and the United States during World War I. However, none were used for the war effort. The UK and the US started to accelerate the development of radio-controlled UAVs in the 1930s, but they were mostly used for target practice. Around this time, people started to refer to these vehicles as drones. The first time drones were used for reconnaissance purposes was during the Vietnam War. Since then, drones have evolved into tools that can be used in not only military cases, but civilian applications as well. Drones continue to be further developed into more powerful weapons. They take on a variety of roles, such as espionage, communication, and direct offensive action. They can either be used for surveillance purposes or for conducting warfare and lethal attacks on the battlefield. They can also be used in humanitarian efforts, such as disaster relief, rescue operations, and supply delivery in conflict zones. The vast range of ways drones can be used makes this topic applicable to almost any nation.

The treatment of prisoners and prisoners of war is an important issue when it comes to their access to healthcare, education, and counsel. Prisoners of war (POWs) are defined as people who have been held captive and imprisoned by an enemy in war. Standard prisoners are defined as those convicted of crimes during peacetime. Policies on the incarceration of POWs and standard prisoners differ from country to country. Some nations focus on rehabilitation, while others prioritize punishment. This creates a range of experiences for incarcerated people globally.

Various human rights treaties and conventions dictate how accessible humane living conditions are to those in prison all around the world. The most notable one is the Third Geneva Convention. Adopted in 1949 by the United Nations, this treaty established rights and protections for war prisoners to live under humane conditions during international armed conflict. These rights include, but aren’t limited to, access to healthcare, education, and fair trials. However, the abuse of POWs has been persistent throughout history, as countries have not abided by international law. Reports of overcrowded prisons, torture, unfair trials, and denial of medical care have raised concerns for the global community. In conflict zones, POWs have often been mistreated and denied basic rights, even under international law that should protect them. For example, in the Vietnam War, American POWs held in North Vietnamese camps, such as the Hỏa Lò Prison, faced a lot of physical and psychological torture despite international law. Moving away from war prisoners, standard prisoners who have been incarcerated under national criminal systems suffer from similar inhumane conditions. Historically, this has been most persistent in African, Central American, and South American countries. This shows the inefficiencies in implementing laws and oversight to protect the rights of humans around the globe.

Private military and security companies (PMSCs) are businesses that provide military and/or security services for national governments, non-governmental organizations, and private corporations. PMSCs can be traced back to as far as the British East India Company in the 1600s. However, PMSCs re-emerged after the Cold War. In the modern era, Sierra Leone contracted the company Executive Outcomes to protect the government and economic infrastructure during their Civil War in the 1990s. The United States government contracted Blackwater (now Constellis) for protection, training, and security during the Iraq War in the early 2000s. The U.S. government again used Blackwater during the Afghanistan War to train the Afghan military. During the Persian Gulf War, the U.S. State Department estimated that there was one PMSC employee for every 50 US service members. In 2004, the US State Department estimated that there was one PMC for every ten soldiers in Iraq. PMSCs have also been used in Syria, Libya, and Ukraine.

The main incentive behind using PMSCs is their low cost, compared to national militaries, fast deployment, and expertise. However, PMSCs are controversial due to the lack of accountability and legal grayness. Their role in armed conflict makes it hard to distinguish between public military authority and Private Military and Security Company profit motives. This raises concerns about the ethical implications of outsourcing national defense.