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The paper looks at the increasing role of private security and military companies in offering security services. The paper argues that while this trend towards dissolving the state monopoly on force raises some sensitive questions, stronger integration of the private sector in security policy is a promising approach worth developing further.

The paper discusses:

• the history and role of private security and military
• the potential role of public-private partnerships
• the role of the private sector in conflict prevention
• the peacebuilding role of the private sector.

The paper argues for a twofold approach for the private sector in peacebuilding:

• companies should bundle their resources and expertise in joint private-sector platforms. This should be done predominantly in areas where they are not engaged as security policy actors on the basis of their core business, but where the private sector as a whole can make a security contribution
• the public sector should also form greater partnerships with the business sector to promote governance beyond the nation-state. The state is also needed to create the conditions for structured integration of business actors in responding to security policy challenges.

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