Canadian Consortium on Human Security
March 2008 I Vol. 6, Issue 3
Message from the Editor: The privatization of security
Dear Reader,
This Human Security Bulletin focuses on the trend toward the privatization of security.
Functions traditionally performed by state armed forces are now increasingly outsourced to private contractors not only in complex emergencies but also in the context of day-to-day security provision. Their tasks involve a range of operations including logistical, technical, protection and in some cases offensive combat activities.
Peter Singer captured this trend best when he wrote, “Can’t win with ‘em, can’t go to war without ‘em”. Indeed, private security providers have come to be seen as an indelible feature of large-scale military and even humanitarian interventions even as their existence and actions raise a host of ethical and legal concerns. The recent events surrounding Blackwater, the US-based firm operating in Iraq, have drawn attention to an emerging debate amongst scholars, international lawyers, humanitarian practitioners, and industry representatives. This debate has revolved around the applicability of the laws of war to the actions of private military corporations (PMCs) particularly in counter-insurgency situations and raised questions on how they should occupy humanitarian space.
Not least, the issue demands attention due to the sheer size of the global private military and security industry which is projected to reach US$210 billion by 2010 as noted by Benjamin Perrin. Perrin, at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Law, cautions that Canada needs to take adequate measures and implement the appropriate safeguards to prevent a Blackwater-style incident from affecting its operations in Afghanistan. He suggests approaches to develop transparency and accountability in the hiring of private military and security contractors.
Christopher Spearin at the Canadian Forces College discusses the human security implications of the privatization of security in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Manley Report. While private security personnel fill a gap in troop contributions from intervening state armed forces, he notes that their actions may undermine the international presence itself.
States are not the only clients of private security providers; nonstate actors work with them as well. Increasingly, humanitarians hire PMCs for their protection in conflict zones. Humanitarian professionals have an important role to play in professionalizing the global security industry, writes James Cockayne from the International Peace Academy. A relatively unexplored aspect of the private security debate is the use of PMCs by nonstate armed groups. Sunil Dasgupta at George Washington University examines the dynamics of the relationship between these two private actors as they compete for public authority. He also discusses the implications for the United Nations of using PMCs for peacekeeping purposes.
Members of the private security industry have recognized and are now responding to demands for increased accountability and compliance with existing provisions in international humanitarian law. The International Peace Operations Association (IPOA), a leading standards-based trade association, has led this effort through its continuously evolving Code of Conduct which all member companies must agree to abide by before joining. Doug Brooks and Shawn Lee Rathgeber from the IPOA provide a unique point of view by outlining some of the challenges and opportunities for a stronger industry role in regulating the behaviour of private security providers. In doing so, they list the positive impacts such firms can have in post-conflict settings by employing locals and contributing to long-term stabilization.
From a conceptual standpoint, the increase in the number of private security providers is reflective of a wider transformation in the conceptualization of security and the use of force more generally argues Deborah Avant at the University of California, Irvine. Reinforcing this trend is the remarkable growth in the number of private security companies that provide services in non-military and non-conflict settings. Rita Abrahamsen and Michael Williams at the University of Aberystwyth describe the emergence of new networks of security derived from a confluence of public, private, global and local actors such as those that occupy the security landscape of Cape Town in South Africa. Group4Securicor, the largest private security company today, secures Cape Town through a multi-stakeholder initiative called the Cape Town Central City Improvement District.
In presenting various aspects of the security privatization debate, this issue showcases a range of inter-disciplinary perspectives. We thank the contributors for so generously providing their expert analysis and opinions to this Bulletin and are grateful to Benjamin Perrin for sharing his contacts with us.
A compilation of the most recent reports, analysis and news on security privatization is available in the Resources section. This issue’s Human Security Events and Publications list features innovative web resources. We present the profiles of three current CCHS Human Security Fellows – Edward Akuffo, Nevin Aiken and Elinor Bray-Collins – each of whom is undertaking dissertation field research in Ghana, Northern Ireland and Lebanon respectively.
More details on the research and activities of the CCHS Fellows will be available in the next Human Security Bulletin. This final issue in the current phase of activities will showcase select notes from the field as compiled by 2007-08 Human Security Fellows.
We hope you enjoy this issue and welcome your feedback.
