ABSTRACT

A growing feature of the conflict landscape in developing countries is the privatisation of the use of force. This can take the form of the establishment of private armies or presidential guard-type forces which provide security for elites whilst the security of the population at large remains minimal. This is an illustration of how security has moved from being ideally a public good, or even a basic service which populations could expect by virtue of belonging to a state, to in reality a private commodity available only to those who can afford to pay. In the broader field of conflict and peacekeeping, security has also become privatised, with a burgeoning private industry involving companies undertaking a variety of tasks for both states and non-state actors.