The phenomenon of private security companies and their growing role in implementing the strategies of major powers in the contemporary international system.

Abstract

This study examines the growing role of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) in implementing the strategies of major powers within the contemporary international system. It argues that PMSCs have evolved from auxiliary technical actors into influential non-state instruments used to achieve security, political, and economic objectives while reducing the political and legal costs of direct intervention. Using an analytical–interpretive approach that combines International Relations theories with applied case studies (the United States, Russia, and Africa), the study finds that the expansion of PMSCs reflects a transformation in power instruments and the privatization of violence, raising significant legal and ethical challenges that necessitate binding international regulation and effective oversight mechanisms.