The politics of the apolitical: private military companies, humanitarians and the quest for (anti-)politics in post-inte
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This article aims at exploring some of the political processes related to the interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. These interventions include private actors such as private military and security companies (PMCs and PSCs) on the one hand, and humanitarian organizations on the other, being mobilized in the war effort. The main theoretical argument is that the theory of securitization might be instrumental to the comprehension of the concept of the political. Such a conceptualization of the political facilitates the analysis of the outcome of the social practices involved in military interventions. It allows for a different interpretation of the political processes induced in ‘local’ societies by the private and civilian actors — PMCs and PSCs on the one hand, and humanitarian organizations on the other — involved along with the military in the civil–military ‘assemblage’ of contemporary interventions. In this way, I argue against international policies without local politics and conflict-resolution without political solution. Journal of International Relations and Development (2007) 10, 332–361. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jird.1800137 Keywords: humanitarian organizations; military intervention; political; private security companies; private military companies; securitization
Introduction The aim of this article is to explore some of the political processes related to the interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. These interventions see private actors such as private military and security companies (PMCs and PSCs) on the one hand, and humanitarian organizations on the other, being mobilized in the war effort. This article will deal specifically with these private and/or civilian actors who might erroneously seem marginal to some compared to the ‘high-profile’ military operations. This will be done through a theoretical perspective not solely focusing on the intervening actors but also highlighting the social dynamics involving the ‘local’ populations. Indeed, here I will try to show that these actors’ everyday practices in post-intervention environments participate Journal of International Relations and Development, 2007, 10, (332–361) r 2007 Palgrave Macmillan Ltd 1408-6980/07 $30.00
www.palgrave-journals.com/jird
Christian Olsson Politics of apolitical private military companies
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in the political processes that characterize military interventions in ‘local’ societies. However, my intent is neither to present new facts nor to make a detailed analysis of the facts already available. In the scope of this short article, long empirical developments cannot be made. The objective is rather to explore new ways of ‘problematizing’ what is at stake in contemporary interventions. The hope is to shed new light on the important political questions that the latter raise. While doing this, the main argument on the theoretical level will be that the theory of securitization might be instrumental to the comprehension of the concept of the political. At the same time, by proposing an approach in terms of politicization and de-politi
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