Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 4 – January-February 2012
A Female Engagement Team member meets with women to address their needs.
The crucial role for women in conflict and post-conflict environments
“…involving women in operations is crucial if we want to establish relationships and trust with the civil society…in the theatres where we are involved, there are different traditions and cultures. But everywhere, our interactions – whether military-to-military, military-to-government or military-to-population, have largely been seen as ‘man-to-man.’ This is no longer true, this is changing, and therefore it is essential to go on injecting gender perspectives in all our actions.”
Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, at the
10th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, 9 September 2010
Gender refers to the socially constructed roles and relationships between men and women. Men and women often have different perspectives, priorities, and concerns, including about their personal security and the security of their communities. These perspectives need to be considered in all areas of peace and stability operations. Acknowledging this reality, in October 2000 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. Since then, it has become widely acknowledged that involving both men and women in peace-building efforts, including in security sector reform (SSR) processes, is essential. Still, women’s views are often side-lined in security institutions and SSR processes. Although many clients of private military and security companies (PMSCs), such as the United Nations, NGOs and donors, have mainstreamed gender concerns into their peace support operations and post-conflict reconstruction projects, PMSCs are only beginning to do so. This article considers the importance of integrating gender perspectives into PMSCs and identifies practical ways to do so.
Journal of International Peace Operations
volume 7, Number 4 – January-February 2012
Murals being painted to raise awareness of the issue of violence against women.
Filling a critical void for the future of Iraq
As U.S. troops withdraw from Iraq and the U.S. role transitions from military-led to civilian-led engagement, a number of questions linger about Iraq’s governance, stability and security. But of critical importance is how the transition will affect the status of women and vulnerable groups, and how civil society will support the transition.
Over the last nine years, the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) has been one of the prime supporters of Iraqi civil society, especially in terms of capacity building and technical assistance provided to women leaders and organizations that work on gender-equity and peacebuilding in Iraq. The Institute’s Iraq Priority Grant Program has worked since 2004 to create indigenous institutions that contribute to preventing conflict as well as other programs that offer training in problem-solving and conflict resolution.
Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 4 – January-February 2012
From Remedial Action to Women’s Empowerment: Implications of the US National Action Plan for PMSCs
Implications of the US National Action Plan for Private Military and Security Companies
On December 19th 2011 the National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security (NAP) was announced as the blueprint for integrating women across all post conflict nation building activities. In 32 other countries, the NAP has come to be the central vehicle for empowering women across the stability and defense communities. The United States Government’s final product reflects a relatively forward leaning approach to contractors, including commitments to improving the collection of sex-disaggregated data, efforts to inform program design with context-relevant gender analysis, and ensuring women‘s equal participation in training, education and program activities.
Within the plan’s development, one core challenge was outlining the role that Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) would play, and what mandates should govern their relationships with the USG when it comes to gender. The problematic aspect, for the civil society organizations informing the effort in particular, was a lack of good information. Discussions about gender equality within the realm of PMSCs has so far been tokenistic, anecdotal, and dominated by a handful of negative stereotypes. Whereas we have a range of new information and tools for gender mainstreaming United Nations Peacekeeping Forces or the US Military, we know very little about gender mainstreaming throughout PMSCs. This outlook has severely limited research and movement forward on policy options for improvement, and therefore demands change. Quality research and analysis, identification of gaps and best practices and practical policy options and novel partnerships for implementation are now necessary.
Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 4 – January-February 2012
A critical stakeholder in building the foundations of civil society in Afghanistan
The role of Afghan women supporting the build-up of civil society capacity
As international security forces prepare to draw down and civilian contractors brace for reduced contract solicitations and option year renewals, the international community should seriously examine its support for the role that civil society is playing in the growth and long-term viability of the Afghan state. Specifically, the international community should reinforce positive investments into efforts that explicitly incorporate women’s voices and participation across Afghanistan.
Despite hard-won combat successes by international troops, the future of the country will be won or lost by the Afghans. In a war where front lines go beyond geography and the battle for hearts and minds reaches past the male population who can walk down the street freely, it is Afghan women who must be included in building the community organizations and social infrastructure necessary to enable the country’s future success. The opportunity to combat violence and extremism democratically already exists in Afghanistan through participation in civil society initiatives that empower all citizens to play a greater role in building a common future for the Afghan state.
Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 4 – January-February 2012
Insights on International Affairs: A conversation with the Right Honorable Jack Straw
A Conversation with the Rt. Hon. Jack Straw, MP
Rt. Hon. Jack Straw is a British Labour Party politician and has been the Member of Parliament for Blackburn since 1979. He served as Home Secretary from 1997 to 2001, Secretary of State for Commonwealth and Foreign Affairs from 2001 to 2006, leader of the House of Commons from 2006 to 2007, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain in 2007, and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice in 2010. As of April 2011, Straw has worked with E. D. & F. Man Holdings Ltd.
JIPO: It is evident that 2011 saw a severe deterioration of relations between Pakistan and the United States, and to a lesser extent Pakistan’s relations with the U.K. Do you have any suggestions for ameliorating this situation?
Straw: I wish I did. In my electoral district, about 15,000 people or 15% of the population are of Pakistani heritage, so I live with Pakistani politics. It is a tragedy what has happened to that country and it is not functioning properly. I really worry about Pakistan more than I worry about any other in the world. It is a country with over 187 million people, so it is big in terms of population compared with Afghanistan or other countries in the Middle East. It could be as rich as India is becoming; they started at the same level 60 years ago. So, it requires, just bluntly, staying close to them, trying to spot the good guys, and building them up. But it is painstaking work I am afraid — three steps forward and two back, if you are lucky.
Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 4 – January-February, 2012
Convoys Leaving Iraq
The role of the private sector in the future of Iraq
Much media attention has accompanied the end of the U.S. military presence in Iraq, as well as the reality that thousands of contractors will remain behind. Not surprisingly, too many commentators are referring to an ‘army’ of contractors – terminology which may make their articles a more compelling read, but also provides an unfortunate mischaracterization of the civilian reality. Oddly, some almost appear to be arguing for a ‘remilitarization’ of the mission, something clearly rejected by the Iraqis themselves.
Although the scale is necessarily large, the private firms working in support of the diplomatic mission are undertaking tasks that are not so unusual for private firms in more benign environments. Contractors are conducting logistics, facilities management, medical evacuation and many different kinds of training. Yes, many are providing site security and body guard services as well, defensive, protective roles as is common domestically in the West. While this unique operation with international policy implications should indeed be covered by the media, the sensationalization is unhelpful to the public.
Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 3 – November-December, 2011
Contractors testify before the CWC
In August 2011, the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan (CWC) issued its final report, Transforming Wartime Contracting: Controlling Costs; Reducing Risks. Established by Congress in 2008 in response to increasing indications of widespread waste, fraud, and abuse in government contracting, CWC was charged with assessing a number of facets of wartime contracting. CWC’s overarching conclusion is that federal agencies have become over reliant on contractors in conducting contingency operations. Its final report concludes that federal agencies have been forced to treat contractors as the default option because they lack the organic capacity to perform some mission-critical functions, and that the government lacks the acquisition personnel and structures needed to manage and oversee an unprecedentedly large contractor force that at times has outnumbered troops in the field.
Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 3 – November-December, 2011
Sailor boards a pirate ship
SHIPS at a distance have every man’s wish onboard”
“I had the story bit by bit, from various people, and, as generally happens in such cases, each time it was a different story .”
You might wonder what strange matter of happenstance could possibly bring together the opening sentences of Zora Neal Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God and Edith Wharton’s equally famous Ethan Frome. Oddly enough, the answer is Somali-based piracy.
This is a tale of parallel stories with diverging risk mitigation strategies. Where these stories collide you find danger; where you find danger you find liability; and where you find liability you find lawyers. I guess that makes this a horror story.
Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 3 – November-December, 2011
Could pirates or terrorists cause this much damage?
THIS article provides an update on threats to the maritime energy supply – such as tankers and offshore platforms – and discusses related developments regarding efforts to increase the use of privately contracted, armed, security personnel (hereafter “private security”). The increased use of private security is especially pronounced off the coasts of Somalia and Nigeria. These developments may be of particular interest to those working in peace and stability operations that are involved with private maritime security companies.
Importance of the Maritime Energy Supply
Industrialized nations’ economies and security are heavily dependent on oil, natural gas, and other energy commodities, and the maritime environment plays a key role in both transportation and production of these natural resources. Ocean tankers transport about half of the U.S. crude oil supply, the source of gasoline, jet fuel, heating oil, and many other petroleum products. Because of their importance to industrialized nations’ economies and national security, energy tankers, along with offshore infrastructure, have become the targets of terrorists and pirates.
Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 3 – November-December, 2011
Private security guard stands alert and ready
OF the 166 companies that, at the time of writing, have signed the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (“ICoC” or “the Code”), at least two-thirds engage in maritime security services. Indeed, roughly one-third provide exclusively maritime security services. This significant uptake among such companies has raised questions and concerns as to whether the ICoC is actually applicable and adequate for maritime operations.
At the moment, the ICoC does not cover private security operations on the high seas. Paragraph 13 establishes that the Code is “applicable to the actions of Signatory Companies while performing Security Services in Complex Environments.” According to the definition provided in the Code, “Complex Environments” are “any areas experiencing or recovering from unrest or instability, whether due to natural disasters or armed conflicts, where the rule of law has been substantially undermined, and in which the capacity of the state authority to handle the situation is diminished, limited, or non-existent.”. The word “and” in this definition excludes maritime security operations. The high seas are not under the authority of any state, yet the definition of a complex environment assumes the locus of activity to be within the territory of a sovereign country. The high seas, therefore, fall outside the coverage of the ICoC, meaning that maritime security operations, at best, have an unclear and confusing place under the Code given that some of their operations are in territorial waters and thus might fall within a “complex environment.”
