George Andreopoulos

Revisiting the Role of Private Military and Security Companies

Abstract This essay addresses the role of private military and security companies (PMSCs) in security governance. In this context, it offers a historical overview of some of the main developments in the evolution of private warfare and critically discusses some of the key challenges confronting the quest for holding PMSCs accountable in accordance with international human rights and humanitarian norms.

UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE SUPPLY CHAINS LINKAGES: THE CASE OF ANTI-MALARIA DRUGS IN AFRICA

Over the last decade there has been a substantial increase in the supply of counterfeit anti-malaria drugs in Africa. This phenomenon has become extremely difficult to detect not only because the counterfeit drugs are usually hidden inside other products but also because it has been associated with the supply of genuine anti-malaria drugs stolen from for pharmacies and government warehouses. As a result the supply chain of anti-malaria drugs, as well as the policies to control this trafficking, has become extremely complicated with serious economic, social, political, and ethical implications. The literature on this topic, particularly the one drawn from the work of international organizations, seems unable to understand these phenomena in particular because the legal and illegal aspects of the supply chain still remain quite separated. The main scope of our investigation is to provide a more comprehensive representation of the complexity of the supply chain of counterfeit drugs, to reconstruct the main reasons behind these flows and suggest policies to address the challenges posed by this complex trade.

On the Uses and Misuses of Human Rights: a Critical Approach to Advocacy

The evolution of human rights norms reveals a complex and uneven story. On the one hand, there have been unquestionable achievements, especially in the post-1945 period, which have challenged some of the traditional prerogatives of sovereignty.2 More specifically, since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN General Assembly in 1948, the setting of standards in human rights has advanced rapidly. Both the United Nations and regional human rights regimes have adopted declarations and treaties, many of which have been ratified by a significant majority of participating states. New constitutions, amendments, and legislative reforms tend to make explicit references to the promotion and protection of human rights (Daly, 2013). Treaty obligations and national laws have led states to establish national human rights institutions with wide-ranging mandates (Mertus, 2009).3 Advocacy organizations have proliferated, some of the perpetrators of serious violations have been brought to justice, people and activists have increasingly articulated their claims by employing a language of human rights, and very few people would openly admit to being hostile to the idea of human rights. This has led some analysts and commentators to refer to human rights as the “lingua franca of global moral discourse” (Beitz & Goodin, 2009, p. 1).

Policing Across Borders: Transnational Threats and Law Enforcement Responses

The changing nature of the threats confronting the international community and the growing internationalization of illicit activities necessitate a commensurate response in the crime control efforts of states and international organizations. While international crime control efforts are nothing new, the intensity and geographic reach of such cross-border efforts have transformed the landscape of crime control and have raised the profile of policing issues in international security. At the same time, this development has generated critical questions about the importance of international norms and rules as standards of legitimacy in such efforts. The Balkan region, which constitutes the focus of this book, is a key testing ground for the effectiveness of such efforts as well as for the relevance of the said norms and rules.