Description

Privatizing International Conflict: War as Corporate Crime

War is increasingly becoming a form of state and corporate criminality. Starting from this premise, the author focuses on the illegality perpetrated by invading states and the criminality of the private enterprises these states involve in their military ventures. After discussing the direct involvement of private companies in wars, the article addresses social, political, and legal definitions of white collar and corporate crime, and the way in which these gain acceptance in the public sensibility. Finally, the traits that war and corporate crime possess in common are highlighted, while the definition of “war as corporate crime” presented in the final discussion is situated within the analytical framework of the study, more generally, of the crimes of the powerful.

war, corporate crime, private enterprise, consensus, market economy public sphere, common good

Citation: Social Justice Vol. 34, Nos. 3-4 (2007): 132-147