“The role and position of Private Military and Security Companies in transnational security governance” By Dr Math Noortmann

Lecture Abstract:
Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) are omnipresent in today’s security environments and global conflicts. The sector increasingly operates beyond the borders of states and is growing in size and importance.  It is likely to consolidate its transnational presence in the coming decade. PMSCs secure property, premises and persons, protect ships and convoys, advise governments, maintain military equipment and conduct military operations. PMCS are the subject of an ever increasing set of national and international rules, jurisprudence and arbitration, self-regulation, and media and academic investigations. The last are not without normative biases and tend to be dated, lack a proper comparative analysis, fail to include an appreciation of self-regulation, industry codes of conduct and/or sector specific corporate social responsibility schemes, and most importantly. These studies do not properly differentiate between various kinds of PMSCs and or take the transnational corporate aspect into account. PMSCs constitute a new socio-political and legal phenomenon that can no longer be understood by existing security concepts. The seminar discusses the legal-political developments on PMSCs, their potential role in the new global security environment and offers a typology of the sector.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Math Noortmann joined the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (CTPSR) at Coventry University in November 2014 as Professor on Transnational Law and Non-State Actors. He is also Director of Studies at the university. Before that, he taught and researched at Universities in the Netherlands, Singapore, Germany, and the UK. Holding a PhD in International Law and a MSc in Political Science, his teaching and research combine the knowledge and understanding of international politics and public international law. Within the CTPSR, he leads the Research Cluster on Transnational and Maritime Security. He has published on such issues such as transnational criminal organizations, private military and security companies; and ASEAN – Australian Counter-Terrorism Cooperation after Bali.

Dr. Noortmann is, inter alia, Editor-in-Chief of the series Non-State Actors in International Law, Politics and Governance; Chairperson of the Committee on Non-State Actors of the International Law Association; Board member of the Terrorism and Political Violence Association, and Member of the programming committee of the Academic Council of the United Nations System. He held visiting professorships at various institutions, including Military Academy of Stellenbosch University, South-Africa; University of Calcutta, India; National University Singapore, Singapore; University of Politics and Law, Beijing, China; and Andalas University, Indonesia.