Private military and security companies (PMSCs) have been used in every peace operation since 1990, and reliance on them is increasing at a time when peace operations themselves are becoming ever more complex. This book provides an essential foundation for the emerging debate on the use of PMSCs in this context. It clarifies key issues such as whether their use complies with the principles of peacekeeping, outlines the implications of the status of private contractors as non-combatants under international humanitarian law, and identifies potential problems in holding states and international organizations responsible for their unlawful acts. Written as a clarion call for greater transparency, this book aims to inform the discussion to ensure that international lawyers and policy makers ask the right questions and take the necessary steps so that states and international organizations respect the law when endeavouring to keep peace in an increasingly privatized world.

This book sets out the legal issues surrounding privatized peacekeepers, and asks the essential questions for the debate going forward.

About the Author
Lindsey Cameron is a legal adviser in the legal division of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Prior to joining the ICRC, she worked as a researcher in the Faculty of Law at Universite de Geneve. She has also worked for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in the Balkans and at the Court of Appeal for Ontario in Canada.


Book Information
ISBN 9781107172302
Author Lindsey Cameron
Format Hardback
Page Count 430
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 730g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 158mm * 26mm