Abstract
In this chapter, we will discuss three trendlines which echo and expand upon the studies presented in this volume. The first theme of “state and power” is grounded in the Weberian philosophy of the state as the legitimate monopoly of the means of violence and the corollaries of outsourcing this function. It examines the modern state and the new civil-military relations that emerged with the wide use of PMSCs. The second theme, “military sociology”, focuses on the implications of the introduction of PMSCs into this military setting. It draws from scholarship on the military as an organization and as a profession, underscoring the effect of privatization on the military and the people who do the work. The third theme, “privatization and inequality”, corresponds with neoliberal approaches that focus on power relations within the exchange of goods and services. We conclude with a call to use the tools of sociological analysis to help understand the real costs and implications of privatized security.
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Swed, O., Crosbie, T. (2019). Trendlines: Privatization and the Future of War and Security. In: Swed, O., Crosbie, T. (eds) The Sociology of Privatized Security. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98222-9_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98222-9_11
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