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Privatising Peacekeeping

Abstract

This article offers a comprehensive analysis of the perils and benefits of peacekeeping privatisation by approaching two key questions. Firstly, can private military companies (PMCs) take on peacekeeping functions consistent with the UN Charter's primary objective "to save future generations from the scourge of war"? And secondly, is peacekeeping privatisation really an option for bridging the UN's peacekeeping capabilities-expectations gap? PMCs' past performances here offer no clear-cut answers for the first question. Critics have doubted their cost-effectiveness, accountability and legitimacy, while proponents have argued their cost-effectiveness, feasibility and professionalism over their UN and/or regional counterparts. On the second question, PMCs posses many capabilities necessary for peacekeeping operations that the UN often lacks. Yet the question remains how far privatisation should extend, with the danger of it going too far too fast, causing PMC peacekeeping to become a substitute for, rather than an enhancement of, UN action.

Keywords

Peacekeeping, private military companies, United Nations, privatisation, outsourcing

PDF Consultation (Czech)

Author Biography

Oldřich Bureš

Born in 1979, he is the head of the Department of International Relations and European Studies and the director of the Center for Security Studies at Metropolitan University Prague. He also lectures in the Department of Security Studies at the Institute of Political Science Studies at Charles University in Prague. In addition to being a member of the editorial boards of several academic journals (International Relations, Defense and Strategy, and Military Views), he is a member of the permanent working group of the Accreditation Commission for Social Sciences (since January 2013) and was a member of the evaluation panel for political and legal sciences at the Czech Science Foundation (from April 2011 to April 2015). His research primarily focuses on the privatization of security, counterterrorism, and peacekeeping operations.

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