Libya has been a very interesting conflict to follow. From the battle field tactics and strategies of the rebels, to the involvement of the world in trying to help things. We also witnessed R2P becoming a reality, as a means for intervening.
Probably the most interesting aspect of this conflict though is the involvement of foreign volunteers, mercenaries, and security contractors. Of course all three of these classifications have cross overs into one another, and the politics of the conflict have made things even more fuzzier. lol
Either way, I thought I would touch on a key aspect of warfare, in the history of wars, and that is picking the right side in a conflict to work for. Because if you choose wrong, you could very well end up getting executed or imprisoned for life. You could also have your reputation destroyed because of your involvement in a non-sanctioned activity. If you choose correctly, you could end up being pretty wealthy, or at least have work with a new government.
The thing to remember about picking sides though is that like with stock picking, you need to remove emotion from choosing your sides. You must be pragmatic in your choice, and be willing to accept the reality of your client, if they have gone bad or have become a wanted man to the country you reside in.
Meaning, several years back, Gaddafi was actually an ally of sorts, and the west was doing business with the guy. He was also anti-Al Qaeda, and was certainly taking them to task in Libya.
But then the Arab Spring happened, and all of those years of being a brutal dictator caught up with Gaddafi and the people spoke. The West also took a hint from other countries falling due to this middle eastern revolt, and decided it was best to switch sides and support the people against Gaddafi. And of course the West also had some bad history with Gaddafi back in the eighties, so it was easy to switch gears and label the guy public enemy number 1.
So what am I getting at here? Well below I have found numerous individuals and groups highlighted by the media as foreign volunteers, mercenaries, and security contractors in this war. Each individual or groups all had their reasons for picking their side in the conflict, and all of them either benefited or paid the price for that choice. At one time, their relationship with Gaddafi’s regime was a non-issue or even supported. And then one day, that relationship becomes a ‘no go’ and Gaddafi is the bad guy.
The point I wanted to make is that if you plan on entering a conflict like this, you must get educated on the history of the players, know the laws, and know exactly who the good guys are and who the bad guys are, based on what country you are from.
For example, in the US we had several individuals who just volunteered to fight with the rebels. How is this not mercenary? But because the US switched loyalties from Gaddafi’s camp to the rebels, then anyone who fought for the rebels was ‘good to go’. You were not a mercenary in this case, and instead you were a ‘foreign volunteer’ fighting the good fight.
And yet in the US and western media, there was an incredible amount of heart ache and protest about Gaddafi using mercenaries. To Gaddafi and his supporters, these were foreign volunteers or security contractors. Hell, a couple of years back, the west would have called them foreign volunteers and security contractors, helping out an ally. The winds of change…..
Logic being though is that if you wanted to enter this market, and you are a citizen of the west, then now you know what side of the conflict you are on (or should be on). Join Gaddafi, and you are a bad guy mercenary. Join the rebels, and you are a good guy foreign volunteer or security contractor. And doom on you if you haven’t been following the news and doing your research to figure what side your country is on, and what is the current status of the governments and rebels/insurgents in a conflict.
So with that said, I wanted to post a few notable individuals and groups in this conflict that ‘picked sides’. You might agree with their choice, and you might not. But they made their choice based on money, loyalty, or principal–or some combination of all of these. This is nothing new in the history of conflict, but it is interesting to watch it play out in real time and on a world stage. Every aspect of these conflicts are recorded, filmed and talked about, and that is what makes this a unique deal to study and observe. –Matt
The Ontario man who helped Muammar Gaddafi’s son flee Libya
Stewart Bell
Oct 29, 2011
A private security contractor and former soldier from Canada has admitted he helped Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saadi flee Libya last month as Tripoli was falling to anti-Gaddafi rebels.
Gary Peters is president of Can/Aus Security & Investigations International Inc. in Cambridge, Ont. He is also Saadi Gaddafi’s longtime bodyguard and admitted he was part of a team that drove the late dictator’s third son across Libya’s southern border to Niger.
The convoy was ambushed after it had crossed back into Libya and Mr. Peters was shot. He returned to Toronto’s Pearson airport in September, bleeding heavily from an untreated bullet wound to his left shoulder.
“I got hurt over there so I come back,” he said when approached this week by a National Post reporter. He said he had been providing security to members of the Gaddafi family since 2004 and had continued to do so throughout the NATO campaign against the dictator. He worked mostly for Saadi but said he had also briefly guarded Col. Gaddafi’s sons Saif al-Islam and Hannibal.