Key insights

• 🌍 The era of the United States as the sole superpower is ending, with rising powers like Russia and China challenging the traditional global order.
• 💰 Concentration of wealth and power among a few individuals and multinational corporations is leading to a new era of superpowers with their own private armies, privatizing war, and blending military and business strategies.
• ⚔️ Mercenaries disappeared around 150 years ago, resurfaced in the 1950s and '60s during African wars of decolonization, and are now becoming powerful entities.
• ⚖️ Regulating mercenaries globally seems unlikely, as international laws around war are weak, and mercenaries pose a significant threat due to their ability to resist law enforcement.
• 🛡️ Private warfare is becoming a major 21st-century security threat, driven by the market for force and the influence of CEOs and Wall Street, often overshadowed by the focus on groups like ISIS.
• ⚠️ Private mercenaries exacerbate conflict and contribute to durable disorder, utilized by random billionaires, multinational corporations, and the extractive industry for securing assets or waging war for petty reasons.

Q&A

• How do private mercenaries impact conflict and disorder?

  Private mercenaries exacerbate conflict and contribute to durable disorder by making war easier and peacemaking harder. They are utilized by random billionaires, multinational corporations, and the extractive industry to secure assets or wage war for petty reasons.

• Why is the rise of private warfare seen as a significant threat?

  Private warfare is a growing security threat driven by the market for force, influenced by CEOs and Wall Street, with the focus on ISIS diverting attention from this rise and leading to unpreparedness.

• Why is global regulation of mercenaries unlikely?

  Mercenaries like Blackwater, the Wagner Group, and Executive Outcomes are becoming prominent again, and global regulation of mercenaries is unlikely due to the difficulty of international cooperation and the weakness of international laws around war.

• How did mercenaries reappear in modern times?

  Mercenaries, present for millennia, seemed to disappear around 150 years ago but resurfaced in the 1950s and '60s during African wars of decolonization when rulers and kings started investing in their own standing armies, pushing out mercenaries.

• What historical trends are associated with the rise of private armies and superpowers?

  In the Middle Ages, the papacy and rich aristocracies were superpowers. Today, random billionaires wield as much power as states, and multinational corporations are more powerful than most states. This has led to the emergence of new superpowers with their own private armies.

• What is the relationship between wealth concentration and the emergence of new superpowers?

  The concentration of wealth and power among a few individuals and multinational corporations is leading to the emergence of new superpowers with their own private armies, consequently resulting in the privatization of war and the blending of military and business strategies.

• How is the global order changing?

  The global order is reverting to a free-for-all of empires and tribes as traditional power dynamics evolve and new challenges from rising global powers emerge.

• What is the current status of the United States as a superpower?

  The era of the United States as the sole superpower is ending. Rising powers like Russia and China are challenging the traditional global order, leading to a shift in the state-centric view of international relations.

• 00:05 The era of the United States as the sole superpower is coming to an end as other global powers like Russia and China rise. The traditional state-centric view of the world is evolving, with the global order reverting to a free-for-all of empires and tribes.
• 01:25 The concentration of wealth and power among a few individuals and multinational corporations is leading to a new era of superpowers with their own private armies, leading to the privatization of war and the blending of military and business strategies.
• 02:51 Mercenaries have a long history but seemed to disappear 150 years ago. They resurfaced in the 1950s and '60s during African wars of decolonization.
• 04:05 Mercenaries are resurfacing as powerful entities, and regulating them globally seems unlikely. International laws around war are weak, and mercenaries pose a significant threat due to their ability to resist law enforcement.
• 05:19 Private warfare is becoming a major security threat in the 21st century, driven by the market for force and the influence of CEOs and Wall Street. The focus on ISIS is overshadowing the rise of private warfare, creating unpreparedness for this significant threat.
• 06:34 Private mercenaries can exacerbate conflict and contribute to durable disorder by making war easier and peacemaking harder. They are used by random billionaires, multinational corporations, and the extractive industry to secure assets or wage war for petty reasons.