Private Military and Security Contractors

In Private Military and Security Contractors (PMSCs) a multinational team of scholars and experts address a developing phenomenon: controlling the use of privatized force by states in international politics. Robust analyses of the evolving, multi-layered tapestry of formal and informal mechanisms of control address the microfoundations of the market, such as the social and role identities of contract employees, their acceptance by military personnel, and potential tensions between them. The extent and willingness of key states—South Africa, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Israel—to monitor and enforce discipline to structure their contractual relations with PMSCs on land and at sea is examined, as is the ability of the industry to regulate itself. Also discussed is the nascent international legal regime to reinforce state and industry efforts to encourage effective practices, punish inappropriate behavior, and shape the market to minimize the hazards of loosening states’ oligopolistic control over the means of legitimate organized violence. The volume presents a theoretically-informed synthesis of micro- and macro-levels of analysis, offering new insights into the challenges of controlling the agents of organized violence used by states for scholars and practitioners alike.

“With its geographic range and convincing arguments, this work is impressive and highly relevant. The contributors collectively establish the importance of private military contractors, with ongoing concerns about the ability of states to maintain control. I recommend this authoritative book to both academic and general audiences.”

[P]rovides a rich, coherent, detailed, multifaceted and multi-level investigation of the pressing problem of PMSCs control.... [I]t should be recommended. Defence Studies
-- Patrick James, University of Southern California
This book provides a uniquely synthesized and highly informed analysis of the multifaceted challenges related to the evolution and control of PMSCs—one of the most pivotal phenomena affecting defence and security in this era. An authoritative source and truly insightful! -- Irina Goldenberg, Secretary General of ERGOMAS (European Research Group on Military and Society)
Even as we struggle to understand the range of issues created by Private Military and Security Companies, political and economic realities ensure they will be present in almost every modern conflict.  This volume will help policy makers, academics, and practitioners come to grips with the key issues. -- T. X. Hammes, distinguished research fellow, NDU
This is a masterful and much-needed fresh look at the thorniest real-world issues associated with private military and security contractors. The authors take a global perspective, and their analysis is superbly sourced and even-handed. This is very obviously a “must have” for any serious defense analyst or policymaker in government, industry, or academia. -- Charles J. Dunlap Jr., Maj Gen, USAF (Ret.), executive director, Center on Law, Ethics and National Security, Duke University School of Law

EditorsGary Schaub, Jr. is a senior researcher at the Centre for Military Studies, Department of Political Science, at the University of Copenhagen.Ryan Kelty is an associate professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Washington College.ContributorsShannon Bosch is an admitted attorney and senior lecturer at the University of Kwa Zulu-Natal, Law School in South Africa.Doug Brooks is president emeritus of the International Stability Operations Association (ISOA).Eugenio Cusumano is a lecturer in International Relations at the Baltic Defence College.Volker Franke is an associate professor of Conflict Management at Kennesaw State University.Matthew Kimble is a candidate attorney at Stirling Attorneys in Durban, South Africa.Christopher Kinsey is a reader in Business and International Security in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London.Andrew N. Koch is a MA Candidate at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University.Marelie Maritz holds an LLB LLM (cum laude specializing in International Law) from the University of Pretoria, South Africa.David Perry is the senior analyst and a fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.Ian M. Ralby is founder and executive director of I.R. Consilium and is adjunct professor of Maritime Law and Security at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at National Defense University in Washington, DC, as well as a retained expert for both the United Nations and NATO.Surabhi Ranganathan is assistant professor at Warwick University.Guy Seidman is a professor and head of the LL.M. program at the Radzyner School of Law.Christopher Spearin is an associate professor in the department of defence studies of the Royal. Military College of Canada.David Strachan-Morris is a lecturer in Intelligence and Security in the Department of Politics & International Relations at the University of Leicester.

In Private Military and Security Contractors (PMSCs) a multinational team of scholars and experts address a developing phenomenon: controlling the use of privatized force by states in international politics. Robust analyses of the evolving, multi-layered tapestry of formal and informal mechanisms of control address the microfoundations of the market, such as the social and role identities of contract employees, their acceptance by military personnel, and potential tensions between them. The extent and willingness of key states-South Africa, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Israel-to monitor and enforce discipline to structure their contractual relations with PMSCs on land and at sea is examined, as is the ability of the industry to regulate itself. Also discussed is the nascent international legal regime to reinforce state and industry efforts to encourage effective practices, punish inappropriate behavior, and shape the market to minimize the hazards of loosening states' oligopolistic control over the means of legitimate organized violence. The volume presents a theoretically-informed synthesis of micro- and macro-levels of analysis, offering new insights into the challenges of controlling the agents of organized violence used by states for scholars and practitioners alike.

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