Effective peacekeeping and the privatization of security

Abstract

In international relations theory the following deal between a nation-state and its pulation exists since the Westphalian State Order of 1648: the nation state provides law, order and protection within a certain territory; the inhabitants of that territory obey these laws, do not disturb the order and might even help out in case of emergency. Even if this Weberian deal ever existed in reality, these orderly times seem to be over. The disciplining threat of the Cold War has gone and state intervention in markets has become outdated, leaving all space for a new ideology: neoliberalism. The state retreats. At the domestic level (European) states privatized not only public services and the welfare system but even parts of the security sector. Armies were reduced in size, police forces remained overburdened and private security firms filled the gap. A next step might be to privatize security at the international level as well. Smart? Perhaps. © 2007 VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften | GWV Fachverlage GmbH, Wiesbaden.