Increasingly humanitarian NGOs operate in the context of armed conflicts where the security risks are higher than in contexts of natural disaster. Working in Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka is particularly dangerous for humanitarians. This existential threat affects the physical existence of aid workers and the implementation of humanitarian programs, and the core beliefs of humanitarians and the underlying principles of humanitarian action. For NGOs it is difficult to accept that they are attacked despite their good intentions, sometimes even by the very...

This book examines the self-representation and identity politics of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs).

Using a content analysis of the web pages of 40 transnational US-based and British companies, the book argues that in light of, on the one hand, an increasingly competitive industry and, on the other hand, a diverse range of public and private actors delivering security services, PMSCs ensure their survival not only through market shares, mergers or effectiveness, but also by appropriating different identities. First, they claim accepted forms of masculinities for...