ABSTRACT
The humanitarian identity is the identity that Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) have most recently ¬appropriated. Similar to the business and military identities, the humanitarian identity can be seen as part of these companies' efforts to distance themselves from the mercenary label and to boost their image. Many PMSCs claim to deliver services that are humanitarian in nature, and their statements in this regard reflect another trend in this field: the changing meaning of what precisely humanitarian services entail. Traditional approaches to humanitarianism refer to short-term aid delivered in the '"immediate aftermath" of a disaster', and this would include 'material relief assistance and services, emergency food aid, relief coordination, protection and support services'. In the case of PMSCs, their cooperation with traditional humanitarian actors, as well as the symbols and images commonly associated with these actors, produces their humanitarian identity.
