For nearly a year now, the Kurdish People’s Defense Units, or YPG, has been fighting against Islamic State. In the process, they have gained control of large portions of the three Kurdish-majority cantons in northern Syria, including the frontline city of Kobani. The military successes of the militia has been impressive to date, but it is by no means the only front on which it is challenging Islamic State.

Apart from simply battling for survival, the Kurdish rebels are also waging an important ideological battle in the region. They have repeatedly appealed to progressive democratic ideals as a way to counter the jihadists in their struggle for the hearts and minds of the region’s inhabitants. Last January, the group held elections in the territories they control. They made a point of including all ethnic and religious communities. “Everybody has to be represented,” is one of th ... Tovább »

Private military companies or shortly PMCs are essentially armies that are controlled by no one but their shareholders and whoever pays them the most. They’re not about to go anywhere, either—on the contrary, as capitalism marches on, there are more and more of these private armies running around the globe.“I do this job for the opportunity to kill the enemies of my country and also to get that boat I always wanted. . . . [W]hen engaged I will lay waste to everything around me.” – Contractor slogan.Private military companies find their employees all over the world, from Russia and Europe to Africa, the Americas and Asia. For PMC companies based in the United States, some positions are available only to U.S. citizens. Others are open to anyone.Most contractors have already had another career, either in the military or in law enforcement. British PMCs often hire ex- ... Tovább »