This project describes and analyses the emergence of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSC) as a transnational phenomenon and as an actor of the international system. It emphasizes their participation in Colombia, exploring their relations and linkages with different actors in the armed conflict (1988 – 2012). In the one hand it exposes contacts with paramilitarism, and in the other, it details relations with Colombian institutions. It also describes relations between multinational companies and mercenaries. This project analyses the consequences and the effects of the participation of PMSC on war, on society and on the State’s institutional capacity, leaving it to decide if the participation of mercenary firms in the Colombian conflict has been necessary, analyzing their positive and negative effects.
