Deborah Avant, professor, Sié Chair and Director of the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy, Joseph Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver
The flourishing role of the private sector in security management over the last 20 years has challenged state control of the legitimate use of force. Avant will discuss recent developments in the private provision of force, the private financing of force, and efforts to regulate the market of force. These developments pose challenges to peacebuilding, although efforts in regulation suggest some potential for modest improvements.
Deborah Avant’s research focuses on civil-military relations, military change, and the politics of controlling violence. Her books include Who Governs the Globe?, The Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security, and Political Institutions and Military Change: Lessons From Peripheral Wars. She has published numerous articles in journals such as International Organization, International Studies Quarterly, Security Studies, Armed Forces and Society_, Review of International Studies_, and Foreign Policy. Avant has testified before congressional committees and the Commission for Wartime Contracting. She holds a Ph.D. in international relations and comparative politics from the University of California, San Diego.
Sponsored by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the Notre Dame International Security Program