General Announcements - January 25, 2010

IPI Comment: US Appeal of Blackwater Dismissal No Substitute for Effective Regulation

US Vice President Joseph R. Biden's decision to seek an American government appeal of the dismissal of charges against Blackwater was a welcome step but needs to be followed by evidence of effective regulation of the private security industry, James Cockayne, formerly of IPI, said in a magazine commentary.  

Meeting Notes - August 21, 2009

A Workshop with the UN Working Group on Mercenaries

On July 29, 2009, the International Peace Institute convened a meeting of civil society, academic, and industry representatives to meet with the United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the rights of peoples to self-determination.  

General Announcements - August 04, 2009

IPI Publishes New Book on Regulating Global Security Industry

IPI is pleased to announce its latest book, Beyond Market Forces: Regulating the Global Security Industry. This book is the latest in over 200 books and policy papers IPI has produced since 1998 as an integral part of its mission to inform international policymaking with cutting-edge research and analysis.

Panel Discussions - July 28, 2009

IPI Holds Policy Forum on Regulating Private Security Companies

Private military and security companies (PMSCs) play an increasingly visible role in conflict and postconflict situations. Properly regulated, they may offer efficient and responsive means of delivering security in insecure environments. But well-publicized abuses suggest that an adequate regulatory framework is urgently needed.  

Books - July 27, 2009

Beyond Market Forces: Regulating the Global Security Industry

Private military and security companies play an increasingly visible role in conflict and post-conflict situations. Properly regulated, they may offer efficient and responsive means for governments to deliver security in insecure environments. But well publicized abuses suggest that an adequate regulatory framework is urgently needed.  

Policy Papers - March 15, 2009

Private Military and Security Companies: A Framework for Regulation

In this IPI paper, Cockayne and Mears examine the shortcomings of existing state, industry, intergovernmental, and civil society mechanisms for global security industry regulation, and put forward five possible regulatory frameworks for the global security industry.  

Policy Papers - March 13, 2009

Five Blueprints for Regulating the Global Security Industry

This policy brief examines options for improving international regulation of private military and security companies (PMSCs).  

Conferences - October 24, 2007

Government Contracting of Private Military and Security Companies

IPI convened a retreat last week with the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the Greentree Foundation to generate recommendations for states contracting private military and security companies. In the wake of the recent scandal around the alleged killing of Iraqi civilians by Blackwater contractors, it is becoming all too clear how contractor misconduct eventually comes back to hurt whoever is footing the bill. 

Policy Papers - March 14, 2006

Commercial Security in Humanitarian and Post-Conflict Settings: An Exploratory Study

This exploratory study begins to describe the decentralized, ad hoc use of commercial security in these settings, in an attempt to provoke the further research and discussion needed before these questions can be adequately answered.