CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2012
| Author | Brekalo, Andrea |
|---|---|
| Title | Enquiry into the Private Security and Military Companies' Identities: Shifting the Paradigm in Conceptualising Security |
| Summary | This research recognises relevance of exploring Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) identities, as being vital to furthering our understanding of ‘privatised security.’ More specifically, this research argues that exploration of PMSCs identities enables re-assessment of their very nature, and ultimately assessment of the shifting paradigm within which security is conceptualised. Through textual analysis of ten largest U.S. based PMSCs official websites this research shows how PMSCs internalise a set of commonly acknowledged norms that enable them to decrease ‘space’ for the debate and cast themselves as ‘unproblematic’ security experts. Furthermore, the research shows how PMSCs successfully ‘frame’ security discourses and how they strategically adjust to their target market by employing different ‘frames.’ This in turn enables them to expand and diversify their market, and intensify their presence and authority within the realm of international security. Importantly, the research reveals PMSCs identities’ core – profit maximization – that is characterized as being the ‘logic’ of their identities. Finally, the interaction between U.S. state identity and ten largest U.S. based PMSCs identities reveals how security is transferred to the crossroads of state’s and market’s domain, consequently being conceived according to economic calculus and vocabulary of ‘profess ionalism,ȁ 9; ‘cost-ef ficiency,ȁ 9; and ‘innovative thinking.’ The research concludes with assessing the shifting paradigm within which security is conceptualised, thereby identifying a dangerous leap towards international instability that ‘privatised security’ represents. More specifically, the research sheds light on the ‘encroachment’ of moral grounds, upon which responsibility over the use of force is determined, by the ‘market rationale.’ |
| Supervisor | Roe, Paul |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2012/brekalo_andrea.pdf |
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