Canadian Consortium on Human Security

1.Reports

Private Security Contractors at War: Ending the Culture of Impunity

Human Rights First. 2008.

This report examines patterns of private security contractor operations and the civilian casualties linked to them; the inadequate response of the U.S. government, principally the Department of Justice, to crimes committed by contractors; and the current legal framework governing private security contractors deployed abroad by the United States. Human Rights First concludes that the vigorous enforcement of laws already in force today would provide a solid foundation for prosecuting violent crime involving contractors, but that the federal government needs to provide the necessary resources and properly prioritize law enforcement involving the contractor community in order to end the impunity of private security contractors…more

Private Security Companies and Local Populations: An exploratory study of Afghanistan and Angola

Rimli, Lisa; Schmeidl, Susanne.

Swisspeace. 2007

The role and effects of private security companies (PSCs) have been discussed from various angles in the past. While much attention was paid to the legal status of PSCs or their potential impacts on the role of the state, little consideration was directed towards the influence of PSC activities on local populations. Only little information is available on how local populations perceive PSCs and what the impact of their activities may be on peoples’ every day lives. The goal of this exploratory study is to provide some tentative insights into the perceived positive and negative, direct and indirect impact of PSCs on the local population, in the two cases of Afghanistan and Angola… more

Private Security in Africa: Manifestation, Challenges and Regulation

Gumedze, Sabelo (Ed). 2007.

Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Monograph Series No 139Under the auspices of the ISS Project on Regulation of the Private Security Sector in Africa, this monograph represents the current debate around the subject of the private security industry in the form of private security companies (PSCs) and private military companies (PMCs) operating in Africa. This monograph lays the foundation for another forthcoming ISS monograph… more

Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry

Singer, Peter. 2003

Cornell University Press

In this book, Singer provides the first account of the military services industry and its broader implications. The privitization of warfare allows startling new capbilities and efficiencies in the ways that war is carried out. At the same time, however, Singer finds that the entrance of the profit motive onto the battlefield raises a series of troubling questions -- for democracy, for ethics, for management, for human rights, and for national security… more

 

2.Analysis

The Privatisation and Globalisation of Security in Africa

Avant, Deborah. 2007

International Relations, Vol. 21, No. 2, 143-161

Transnational non-state actors interested in maintaining a presence in parts of the world where the state is weak are an important part of the privatization of security that has not been well analyzed. In this article I lay out propositions about how an increasing role for non-state actors in security may transform the conceptualization of security and the use of violence more generally. I argue that… more

Promoting compliance of private security and military companies with international humanitarian law

Perrin, Benjamin. 2006

Private security and military companies have become a ubiquitous part of modern armed conflict and post-conflict reconstruction. Their diverse clients include governments in the developed and developing world alike, non-state belligerents, international corporations, non-governmental organizations, the United Nations, and private individuals. The implications of this proliferation of private security and military companies for international humanitarian law and human rights are only beginning to be appreciated, as potential violations and misconduct by their employees have come to light in Iraq and Afghanistan. The author critically examines the theoretical risks posed by private military and security company activity with respect to violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, together with the incentives that these companies have to comply with those norms… morePrivate Security Companies: The Case for RegulationHolmqvist, Caroline. 2005 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)The prominent use made of private security services by the United States during its Iraq campaign, and the way in which this use has become linked with concerns about both human rights abuses and business ethics, has uncovered the tip of what is in fact a very large iceberg of a problem. The services provided by private companies in the security sector today cover an enormous range, far outstripping and arguably making redundant the traditional definition of a ‘mercenary’. They are drawn upon both by ‘weak’ states and by some of the world’s most powerful governments. It is hard to see how this trend towards the ‘privatization of security’ can quickly be blocked or reversed, given the increasing preference for interventionist modes of security action, the growing scale of ambition of ‘peace-building’ efforts, and the lack of both money and men to increase or even maintain the levels of state-owned defence and security forces. Building on the best research available, Caroline Holmqvist in this Policy Paper addresses the challenges posed by the manifold activities of private security services today… morePrivate Military Companies: A Second Best Peacekeeping Option? Bures, Oldrich. 2005. International PeacekeepingPaper to be presented at the annual meeting of the ISA's 49th Annual Convention, Bridging Multiple Divides, Mar 26, 2008The paper analyses the perils and benefits of outsourcing UN peacekeeping to private military companies (PMCs). Various PMCs have a proven capacity to perform at least some peacekeeping functions. Although experts have expressed serious doubts whether their capacity to do peacekeeping will always translate into the achievement of peace and security, the author contends that PMC peacekeeping should not be dismissed on ideological ormoral grounds when the choice is either a PMC operation or none at all. It is, however, imperative that the perils of using PMCs are addressed before peacekeeping is turned over to the private market. In particular, a set of clear mechanisms of accountability, control and transparency of the PMCs needs to be put in place… more 3.DataState of the Peace and Stability Operations Industry: Second Annual Survey 2007Peace Operations Institute. 2007.In 2007, IPOA passed on the Survey to the Peace Operations Institute (POI). The Survey was expanded from simply focusing on private security to also focus on the entire private sector, including companies involved in logistics, training, demining and development, among others. The State of the Peace and Stability Operations Industry Survey attempts to provide definitive insight into the industry - its size, activities and areas of operation. It also seeks to provide the general public and policy-makers with a more accurate picture of the industry and a better understanding of its capacities and potential… moreDirectory of Private Military Companies (PMCs)privatemilitary.org. 2008“Private Military Companies” or PMCs are on occasions referred to as “Military Firms”, “Military Service Providers” (MSPs), “Privatized Military Firms” (PMFs), “Transnational Security Corporations” (TSCs), and “security contractors”. All of these terms, however, point at the same phenomenon: firms offering security and military-related services that up to the 1980s used to be considered the preserve of the state… moreDirectory of Private Security Companies (PSCs)privatemilitary.org. 2008“Private Security Companies” (contractors, firms) or PSCs are on many occasions contracted to render tasks in conflict and post-conflict environments. It is complex to distinguish between PSCs and PMCs when they operate in climates of instability. In this light, the argument can be advanced that in such cases PSCs become localised permutations of the PMC and/or a fast expanding international security industry… moreMemorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Department of Defense and the Department of State on USG Private Security Contractorsipoaonline.org (2008)The purpose of this MOA is to clearly define the authority and responsibility for the accountability and operations of USG Private Security Contractors (PSCs) in Iraq… more 4.NewsIraq: Blackwater staff to face chargesSeptember 23, 2007The Iraqi government said it will file criminal charges against employees of security firm Blackwater USA who were involved a gun battle in Baghdad in which civilians were killed, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said Sunday. The Iraqi government has no authority over private security firms contracted by the U.S. government, according to a July report from the Congressional Research Service. Order 17 from the Coalition Provisional Authority appears to shield security contractors from Iraqi laws… moreDefense contract crews auditedFlaherty, Anne. The Associated Press. 2008, March 11.WASHINGTON — The military hires so many private contractors that it should consider forcing them to disclose their financial interests so as to avoid any conflicts of interest, according to a congressional audit. In a report released Monday, the Government Accountability Office found that contractors outnumber Defense Department employees in many offices and perform such sensitive tasks as developing contract details and advising award fees. Yet unlike federal employees, contractors are not bound to most government ethics laws and regulations.Defense officials agreed that tougher standards are probably needed and said they were looking into it… moreUN Working Group on Use of Mercenaries says unregulated activities by private military security companies is a major cause of concernUnited Nations. 2008. March 10The United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries said Monday it is concerned that many private military and security companies at the national, regional and international levels currently operate without effective oversight or accountability. The Working Group, which presented today its report at the seventh session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, notes that a growing number of such companies in conflict-ridden areas, such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Colombia, are recruiting former military and policemen from developing countries as “security guards.” However, once they engage in low intensity armed conflict or post-conflict situations, they become in fact “militarily armed private soldiers.”… more