Monopoly of Force on the Defensive: On changing Sovereignty in the Sphere of International Security Cover Image

Monopol sile u defenzivi: o promjeni državnosti na području unutarnje sigurnosti
Monopoly of Force on the Defensive: On changing Sovereignty in the Sphere of International Security

Author(s): Peter Nitschke
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences
Published by: Fakultet političkih znanosti u Zagrebu
Keywords: deconstruction; state monopoly of force; privatization of public security; internal security;

Summary/Abstract: The author's starting assumption is that the state monopoly of force is being deconstructed through the fragmentation of security interest, the privatization of public security and the executive deficits of the state monopoly of force. It has turned out that the privatization of public security is an extremely subtle phenomenon with a huge scope. Namely, the economization of habitats resulting from globalization leads to the mushrooming of private security services. The first consequence of this is the fragmentation of the social sphere and the creation of the privately organized protective zones; the second is the partnership of the private and the polity interests. The author consequently concludes that the state cannot any longer guarantee internal security. The segregationist culture contributes to the diminishing of the state monopoly of force. This is especially noticeable in the Third World countries where force is often not controlled by the state but by various communitarian or commercial organizations. The supranational integrational processes have a similar effect. The author concludes that at work here is the expansion of security partnerships by which the state surrounds itself; this strikes a rather postmodern note: the system of a once all-powerful Leviathan today is just a notch removed from its natural state.

  • Issue Year: XXXIX/2002
  • Issue No: 02
  • Page Range: 84-91
  • Page Count: 8
  • Language: Croatian
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