Focusing on four East European polities-Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania--this book examines the dynamics and implications of processes of commercialization of security that have occurred following the collapse of communist regimes. These processes have been central to post-communist liberalization, and have profoundly shaped those states and their integration into European institutional structures and global economic and political circuits. They have also affected -- and been shaped by-- the behaviour and power of regional and global actors (e.g. European institutions, regional, and global corporations) in Eastern Europe. By virtue of the fact that they combine in complex ways local, national, regional, and global dynamics and actors, processes of security commercialization in the former Eastern bloc can be seen as instances of 'glocalization'. Several aspects of security commercialization are particularly important. To begin with, private actors --specifically private security companies (PSCs)-- have been reconstituted as partial agents of public power. As such, they have come to be systematically involved in performing security practices traditionally associated with the state. In addition, a potent commercial logic has come to permeate public security institutions. This has led to redefinition of the relationship between the state and its population in ways that defy conventional wisdom about the role of the state, and pose difficult normative challenges. More broadly, processes of security commercialization in Eastern Europe, which involve important performative dimensions, have led to the emergence of complex, hybrid networks of security providers that transcend domestic/international, public/private boundaries and behave, in many ways, as entrepreneurs.

About the Author
Alexandra Gheciu is an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and Associate Director of the Centre for International Policy Studies, University of Ottawa. Her publications include The Oxford Handbook of International Security (co-edited with William Wohlforth, OUP, forthcoming), The Return of the Public in Global Governance (co-edited with Jacqueline Best, Cambridge University Press, 2014), Securing Civilization? The EU, NATO and the OSCE in the Post-9/11 World (OUP, 2008), and NATO in the 'New Europe': The Politics of International Socialization After the Cold War (Stanford University Press, 2005).

Reviews
This book should be considered as required reading for any serious, advanced scholar who seeks to broaden their theoretical and empirical understanding of private security providers. * Scott Fitzsimmons, Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Limerick *
In this excellent book, Gheciu provides an insightful study of the new political economy of security provision in post-Cold War Europe. Her work paints a picture of a dynamic network of actors that blur the boundaries between public and private, national and international, and licit and illicit activities. A must read for those with an interest in the privatisation of security, post-communism, and security governance. * Timothy Edmunds, Professor of International Security, University of Bristol. *
Alexandra Gheciu's study is a conceptually innovative and empirically fine-grained analysis of the ways in which global forces and local actors interacted to reshape the field of security provision in post-authoritarian Eastern Europe. She highlights the negative consequences of the neo-liberal reforms championed as part of the process of European integration, and illustrates how public institutions have been hollowed out to maximize private gain. This excellent volume is crucial for anyone interested in understanding the contemporary political economy of public and private security provision, in Europe and beyond. * Keith Krause, Professor of International Relations, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies *
Come for a deep understanding of the political economy of private security in Eastern Europe; stay for a sophistical theoretical analysis that will prove useful in many other contexts. Drawing on a wide range of social theory, Alexandra Gheciu has written a masterful analysis of private agents performing public power. Their practices, shaped by global, regional, and local forces, have exacerbated social problems, including unequal access to security. At the same time, though, they have sometimes reinforced the ability of governments to provide public services. * Deborah Avant, Sie Cheou-Kang Chair and Director, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198813064
Author Alexandra Gheciu
Format Hardback
Page Count 222
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 494g
Dimensions(mm) 242mm * 163mm * 19mm