ABSTRACT
With recent developments in international affairs, war is increasingly becoming a form of state and corporate criminality, therefore requiring criminological analytical efforts. This chapter analyzes ‘war as crime’, focusing on the illegality perpetrated by invading states and the criminality of the private enterprises these states involve in their military ventures. After an introductory discussion of corporate crime, some empirical material is provided regarding the direct involvement of private companies in wars: in the form of private ‘security’ services, armies, and in the hazy area of ‘conflict consultancy’. 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.
