Marketisation of Security

Abstract: Entangled in a context of increased use of private military and security companies globally, this study sets out to investigate the motivation for Denmark to use private military and security companies (PMSCs) for maritime security in parilious international waters. This study examines the decision making process taking place in the Danish Parliament in 2012 prior to the passing of ​ Law 116 The amendment of the Firearms Act and the Act on Warfare, etc. that mandated the shipping industry to hire PMSCs for armed protection of their vessels. A critical discourse analysis has been applied in order to understand the discursive mechanisms present in the political debate prior to the adoption of the law. The analysis shows that a neoliberal market discourse of necessity, efficiency and competition informs the parliamentary debate on international maritime security and pirate threats. That is, the protecting of the Danish industry and trade are found to be a first priority whereas personal security of the employees, the pirates, and control over weapons are only secondary. The findings indicate that in the political discourse, security has become subjected to a marketlogic. Thus, security is referred to as security for ​the market more than for the population.The thesis argues that this change in thinking about security needs a critical public debate in order to make sure that issues of security stay within the political sphere.