Did you know that the

Did you know that the use of mercenaries is by a U.N. convention? I didn’t.

And apparently a group of wizened old folks (meeting in Geneva, natch) is recommending further restrictions. Although I must admit, the UN release provides next to zero information about what they’re actually recommending.

But the more I look into this, the more confused I get. Does the UN think mercenaries are good or bad? Are they “legal” or “illegal” under international law? And if they are “illegal’, how come Sandline and Executive Outcomes have such spiffy web sites? (You can even make the clock on EO’s site count in military time. Cool!)

Little help, anyone?

Update: I take back the “spiffy” comment about EO’s website; lots of it don’t seem to work.