Machiavelli: On the Use of Mercenaries

In Machiavelli's "The Prince" there is a short discussion concerning the nature of and use of militias in defense of the state. In that discussion, Machiavelli claims the foundation of all states are good laws and good arms. He further claims that a nation can defend itself with arms that are its own, auxiliaries, mercenaries, or a mixture of all three. Of these, one of the worst choices is mercenaries.

Why?

As a general rule, Machiavelli has a low opinion of human nature. Some might claim that that makes him a realist. But for myself, I would say that that makes him a cynic. Regardless, his view of human nature is interwoven throughout the pages of "The Prince."

According to Machiavelli, mercenaries are disunited and without discipline; bold among friends, yet cowardly among enemies; they have no fear of God, and keep no faith with men. In a word, they are unreliable. If a nation, against his advice, relies on mercenaries for its protection, it keeps its ruin at bay only so long as it can postpone an attack.

The basic problem of mercenaries is that they are loyal to the wage and not the prince, and a wage is insufficient motivation for a man to sacrifice his life. This problem is even more stark when one contemplates the mercenary captain. If he is a capable man, he may aspire to prince-hood and take the prince's own nation by force. If he is not capable, then he will bring about that nation's ruin through his own incompetence.

The problems associated with mercenaries have evolved somewhat since Machiavelli's time. For better or for ill, the United States has used mercenaries in the Iraq War. And although there is little possibility that a mercenary captain could somehow rise to President of the U.S. by force of arms, they are not without their troubles and scandals. Just a short time ago, the Blackwater mercenary corporation was accused of killing innocent, unarmed Iraqi civilians. The problem that this presents is that these mercenaries are outside the normal avenues of military justice. They need to be reined in so that someone, somewhere has oversight.