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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   34999 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of January 30, 2023

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To add onto what someone_from_poland is talking about, I think "mercenary" needs to be defined here. When I hear the word "mercenary," I imagine that which mercenaries in fiction are (sort-of?) based on: distinct paramilitary/private armed force units, available for contract to whoever is willing to pay. This includes what are typically called "private military contractors," a la Blackwater and Wagner, though it seems to me that groups like that tend to operate as paid additions to their home country's military, with the occasional aid to allied/client nations of their home country.

(Speaking of Blackwater, I almost wonder if they would be in their element in Ukraine, given their reputation as skull-crackers.)

Whereas I get the sense that "mercenaries" in Ukraine are just assorted foreign volunteers who might also get a decent paycheck on top of helping out. I also get the sense that these guys get mixed in with the regular troops (granted, PMCs from America and Russia are also used in this way, I think).

(Speaking of Blackwater, I almost wonder if they would be in their element in Ukraine, given their reputation as skull-crackers.)

I have no evidence of military behaviour, but officially they're doing humanitarian work. And to whatever extent it's a cover, there is real work going on for refugees.

To add onto what someone_from_poland is talking about, I think "mercenary" needs to be defined here.

Already had been done, in full legal way.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-convention-against-recruitment-use-financing-and

For the purposes of the present Convention,

A mercenary is any person who:

(a) Is specially recruited locally or abroad in order to fight in an armed conflict;

(b) Is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar rank and functions in the armed forces of that party;

(c) Is neither a national of a party to the conflict nor a resident of territory controlled by a party to the conflict;

(d) Is not a member of the armed forces of a party to the conflict; and

(e) Has not been sent by a State which is not a party to the conflict on official duty as a member of its armed forces.

First part of b/ is purely subjective, second part is not. What pay, if any do foreign volunteers in Ukraine get?

I think they get the same as the Ukrainian regulars, (which is probably not very much) -- otherwise they would be unlawful combatants and subject to all sorts of bad consequences if captured etc.

I get the point. If I’m talking to certain people that they are fighting for western interests. I like just giving them the term mercenary as American funded and American armed.

But on the pure front. I believe before Switzerland went neutral and everyone wanted that they were known as great soldiers for hirer who would fight for whichever side would fund them. They are not that.

In a more modern example a lot in Afghanistan seem to have been America backers as long as we were writing checks but were Taliban the second we decided not to pay them. I don’t think Ukrainians are suddenly Russians if we don’t back them.

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