Democratic states, war and private security companies: The ethical puzzles

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Abstract

onveniently structured into five sections, The Routledge Research Companion to Outsourcing Security offers an overview of the different ways in which states have come to rely on private contractors to support interventions.

Part One puts into context the evolution of outsourcing in Western states that are actively involved in expeditionary operations as well as the rise of the commercial security sector in Afghanistan. To explain the various theoretical frameworks that students can use to study security/military outsourcing, Part Two outlines the theories behind security outsourcing. Part Three examines the law and ethics surrounding the outsourcing of security by focusing on how states might monitor contractor behaviour, hold them to account and prosecute them where their behaviour warrants such action. The drivers, politics and consequences of outsourcing foreign policy are covered in Part Four, which is divided into two sections: section one is concerned with armed contractors (providing the provision of private security with the main driver being a capability gap on the part of the military/law enforcement agencies), and section two looks at military contractors (supporting military operations right back to antiquity, less controversial politically and often technologically driven). The final Part takes into consideration emerging perspectives, exploring areas such as gender, feminist methodology, maritime security and the impact of private security on the military profession.

This book will be of much interest to students of military and security studies, foreign policy and International Relations.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Routledge Research Companion to Security Outsourcing
EditorsJoakim Berndtsson, Christopher Kinsey
Place of PublicationLondon and New York
PublisherRoutledge
Chapter15
Pages171-181
Number of pages11
ISBN (Electronic)9781315613376
ISBN (Print)9781472426833
Publication statusPublished - 22 Jun 2016

Keywords

  • Security
  • private military and security industry
  • ETHICS

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