Carrie Spearin
Biographic Data
| ID | 308264 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Carrie Spearin |
| GIVEN NAMES | Carrie |
| FAMILY NAME | Spearin |
| SIGNATURE | SPEARIN C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Canadian Forces College |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5322-7397 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 29 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 74 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 29 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2001 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Airpower and Wagner Group’s expeditionary operations
Russia’s Wagner Group and the sustainment of authoritarianism in Africa
Wagner Group
Though the same descriptors have been applied to Wagner Group and US/Western Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs), this article differentiates the two experiences to better appreciate Wagner Group's unique characteristics. To make this differentiation, the article examines the distinctions between defensive and offensive violence, the access to crewed weapons, and an integrated team approach. In this way, the article presents Wagner Gr…
Wagner Group—A Tool and Target of Great Power Competition in Africa
Wagner Group, the armed non-state actor linked to the Kremlin, is both a tool and target of great power competition in Africa. Moscow employs Wagner Group as a tool to consolidate and expand the Russian presence on the continent. Washington designated Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organization in January 2023 in response to the Russian entity's roles in Ukraine and Africa. This article explores the implications that Wagner Group, and t…
Russia's Wagner Group/Africa Corps
U.S. privateering and China in the 21st century
Given calls for the United States to launch privateers against China, the article contends that such an effort would be unsuccessful for two reasons. First, the contemporary private military and security industry – the focal point of present calls – is not attuned to privateering. This is because of the following: its defensive posture; quantitative and qualitative issues related to maritime vessels; its non-U.S. ownership; concerns about innocen…
Russia's Military and Security Privatization
This article discusses the conflicting use of nonstate actors in state-sponsored actions. It also introduces a diplomatic strategy for regulating the application of violence by private military and security companies
Since you left
In the late 1990s when Canada was largely removing itself from United Nations peace support endeavours, private military and security companies were heralded as likely replacements. Canada has indicated its desire to reengage in a United Nations peace support milieu in which there is now a private military and security presence. It is not the type of presence initially envisioned, but it is one with multiple impacts regarding training and operati…
Special Operations Forces & Private Security Companies
This article examines the potential role of private security companies as part of a global special forces network. It reveals three factors that may influence the utility of such companies: (1) the industry's largely defensive focus; (2) the implications of serving a humanitarian and development clientele; and (3) the challenges of retired special forces personnel moving to the private sector
Canada and contracted war
It is important to recognize the multifaceted, and sometimes necessary, role military and security contracting played in supporting the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in Afghanistan. It is also important to assess the degree to which this expeditionary experience might shape later Canadian engagement with the private sector. To do so, the paper first identifies the four key areas of CAF military and security contracting pertaining to the mission in …
Contemporary military contracting and the future
Since the start of the twenty-first century, military contractors such as Blackwater (now named Academi), Kellogg, Brown & Root, and SNC Lavalin have become household names in many countries. The reasons for their prominence vary from case to case. One is notoriety. Particular firms hold contracts valued in the millions if not billions of dollars, and the conduct of some firms has not been beyond reproach in terms of military effectiveness or the…
Private Military and Security Companies v. International Naval Endeavours v. Somali Pirates
The demand for international maritime policing to counter Somali pirates is outstripping state supply. Hence, private military and security companies (PMSCs) are receiving considerable attention. These firms have a defensive/client-based security orientation that differs from naval patrolling and convoying. PMSCs offer close protection better suited for countering the rapidity of Somali pirate attacks and can avoid the legal and operational chall…
UN Peacekeeping and the International Private Military and Security Industry
UN peacekeeping continues to confront qualitative and quantitative difficulties. Arguments in favour of using private military and security companies (PMSCs), particularly those referring to the 1990s-era when Executive Outcomes was operating, have been aired. The article examines earlier operational arguments for PMSC participation in UN peacekeeping, which at times have been reintroduced in more recent assertions: (1) PMSCs have better organiza…
Against the Current? Somali Pirates, Private Security, and American Responsibilization
The American call for commercial shippers to rely upon private security companies (PSCs) to protect their vessels from Somali pirates presents several challenges to sea users. Though this call for responsibilization inherently reveals state limitations, not all commercial shippers embrace it because it upsets traditional conceptions regarding order at sea. Also, the call's American origins suggest that the United States Navy may not work to ensur…
The Changing Forms and Utility of Force
The Canadian forces are rightly interested in new armed actor, whether employed by Canada or by another allied country, present in its areas of operations - the international private security company. In Afghanistan alone, some 28,000 privately employed personnel provide security to variety of international clients. Numbers such as these highlight the substantial growth of the private security industry since its modest start at the end of the Col…
Back to the Future
As the crisis in Darfur drags on - a crisis that has consumed the lives of 400,000 people and displaced two million more since 2003 - the international community's response to the tragedy faces increasing scrutiny and criticism. In particular, two internationally sanctioned military operations, the hybrid United Nations African Union Mission in Sudan (UNAMID) and its predecessor, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), have received considerab…
Fatherhood Across Two Generations
This article examines the determinants of men's early parental roles, distinguishing factors that affect being a father versus being childless, and factors that affect being a resident versus a nonresident father, in the context of having a partner or not. We also consider whether these patterns have changed between 1985 and 2004. The data come from the linked Child-Mother and Young Adult Samples of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 …
Private, Armed and Humanitarian? States, NGOs, International Private Security Companies and Shifting Humanitarianism
The article contends that, in the light of contemporary challenges, states are not only changing the meaning of the word 'humanitarian', but are also creating an expanding marketplace that includes international private security companies (PSCs) in the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Three types of factors — supply, demand, and ideational — have led to this development. On the supply side, state-demanded limitations on the private employment…
Contracting a Counterinsurgency? Implications for US Policy in Iraq and Beyond
Washington's growing reliance upon international private security companies (PSCs) will lead to these firms becoming prominent vehicles in the prosecution of the counterinsurgency in Iraq. This shift, however, risks labeling PSCs as mercenaries and presents considerable challenges regarding the control of non-state violence. Moreover, tradeoffs exist regarding the different nationalities of PSC personnel. Utilization of personnel from the develop…
Special Operations Forces a Strategic Resource
S ince the late 1980s, and especially since the tragic events of 11 September 2001, two phenomena, both known for their pragmatic and controversial nature, have come together to pose challenges for US policymakers. The first phenomenon is the rise in importance of special operations forces (SOF). This is evident in the 1987 creation of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) later followed by the Bush Administration's 2004 decision…
Between public peacekeepers and private forces
The article analyses the non-profit/non-state approach for UN peacekeeping as manifest in the proposal made by the Global Peace and Security Partnership (GPSP). The article contends that while there is an obvious need for such an initiative, measured either by worldwide demand or by problems related to private, profit-seeking firms, this third way between public peacekeepers and private forces would face considerable challenges. These challenges …
Transnational Corporations and Human Rights
Not a “Real State”
Since the 19905, pundits, parliamentarians, and professors alike have criticized the Liberal government for its seeming neglect of the Canadian forces (CF) and the resulting decline.1 They claim that spending cuts in defence threaten Canada's international standing. They contend that, for the United States, troop cuts make Canada an even more junior (and burdensome) partner in terms of North American defence. They assert that government prioritie…
Not a "Real State"? Defence Privatization in Canada
The Emperor's Leased Clothes
Private, Armed and Humanitarian? States, NGOs, International Private Security Companies and Shifting Humanitarianism
The article contends that, in the light of contemporary challenges, states are not only changing the meaning of the word 'humanitarian', but are also creating an expanding marketplace that includes international private security companies (PSCs) in the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Three types of factors — supply, demand, and ideational — have led to this development. On the supply side, state-demanded limitations on the private employment…
Transnational Corporations and Human Rights
Private security companies and humanitarians
In light of the need for humanitarian organizations to have adequate security for their operations, private security companies are now filling the void left by state forces. Little analysis, however, has been made of the impact of private security companies on the delivery of post‐Cold War humanitarian assistance. To make this analysis, the article considers the changes in humanitarian activity, the relevant services offered by private security p…
Making a Killing
Madelaine DrohanToronto: Random House Canada, 2003. 376pp, $37.95 cloth (ISBN 0-679-31197-1)With the increased focus upon non-state actors in recent times by both policy-makers and analysts, Madelaine Drohan's book examines arguably the darkest characteristic of one type of non-state actor: commercial entities operating in the developing world that use force to accrue profit. Guided by the overarching question of What would drive company...to san…
UN Peacekeeping and the International Private Military and Security Industry
UN peacekeeping continues to confront qualitative and quantitative difficulties. Arguments in favour of using private military and security companies (PMSCs), particularly those referring to the 1990s-era when Executive Outcomes was operating, have been aired. The article examines earlier operational arguments for PMSC participation in UN peacekeeping, which at times have been reintroduced in more recent assertions: (1) PMSCs have better organiza…
Against the Current? Somali Pirates, Private Security, and American Responsibilization
The American call for commercial shippers to rely upon private security companies (PSCs) to protect their vessels from Somali pirates presents several challenges to sea users. Though this call for responsibilization inherently reveals state limitations, not all commercial shippers embrace it because it upsets traditional conceptions regarding order at sea. Also, the call's American origins suggest that the United States Navy may not work to ensur…
Between public peacekeepers and private forces
The article analyses the non-profit/non-state approach for UN peacekeeping as manifest in the proposal made by the Global Peace and Security Partnership (GPSP). The article contends that while there is an obvious need for such an initiative, measured either by worldwide demand or by problems related to private, profit-seeking firms, this third way between public peacekeepers and private forces would face considerable challenges. These challenges …
American hegemony incorporated
The article contends that private military contractors supporting American military operations in Iraq will come under intense international scrutiny. Various factors have led to the substantial private presence and the Iraq case reveals shifts in international dynamics from state to private actors. However, the private presence raises concerns that will have to be considered due to the fishbowl qualities of the Iraq case. How the state-contracto…
Wagner Group
Though the same descriptors have been applied to Wagner Group and US/Western Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs), this article differentiates the two experiences to better appreciate Wagner Group's unique characteristics. To make this differentiation, the article examines the distinctions between defensive and offensive violence, the access to crewed weapons, and an integrated team approach. In this way, the article presents Wagner Gr…
Private Military and Security Companies v. International Naval Endeavours v. Somali Pirates
The demand for international maritime policing to counter Somali pirates is outstripping state supply. Hence, private military and security companies (PMSCs) are receiving considerable attention. These firms have a defensive/client-based security orientation that differs from naval patrolling and convoying. PMSCs offer close protection better suited for countering the rapidity of Somali pirate attacks and can avoid the legal and operational chall…
Airpower and Wagner Group’s expeditionary operations
Russia's Wagner Group/Africa Corps
U.S. privateering and China in the 21st century
Given calls for the United States to launch privateers against China, the article contends that such an effort would be unsuccessful for two reasons. First, the contemporary private military and security industry – the focal point of present calls – is not attuned to privateering. This is because of the following: its defensive posture; quantitative and qualitative issues related to maritime vessels; its non-U.S. ownership; concerns about innocen…
Canada and contracted war
It is important to recognize the multifaceted, and sometimes necessary, role military and security contracting played in supporting the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in Afghanistan. It is also important to assess the degree to which this expeditionary experience might shape later Canadian engagement with the private sector. To do so, the paper first identifies the four key areas of CAF military and security contracting pertaining to the mission in …
The Changing Forms and Utility of Force
The Canadian forces are rightly interested in new armed actor, whether employed by Canada or by another allied country, present in its areas of operations - the international private security company. In Afghanistan alone, some 28,000 privately employed personnel provide security to variety of international clients. Numbers such as these highlight the substantial growth of the private security industry since its modest start at the end of the Col…
Fatherhood Across Two Generations
This article examines the determinants of men's early parental roles, distinguishing factors that affect being a father versus being childless, and factors that affect being a resident versus a nonresident father, in the context of having a partner or not. We also consider whether these patterns have changed between 1985 and 2004. The data come from the linked Child-Mother and Young Adult Samples of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 …
Not a “Real State”
Since the 19905, pundits, parliamentarians, and professors alike have criticized the Liberal government for its seeming neglect of the Canadian forces (CF) and the resulting decline.1 They claim that spending cuts in defence threaten Canada's international standing. They contend that, for the United States, troop cuts make Canada an even more junior (and burdensome) partner in terms of North American defence. They assert that government prioritie…
The Emperor's Leased Clothes
Accountable to whom? An assessment of international private security companies in South America
This article counters the contention that international private security companies (PSCs)1 are not subject to accountability mechanisms. It identifies four mechanisms — political, administrative, market and judicial — and instead asserts that the key issues are the effectiveness and appropriateness of these mechanisms. Using cases of US‐based PSCs operating in South America, the article reveals the attributes of PSC accountability mechanisms, but…
Private security companies and humanitarians
In light of the need for humanitarian organizations to have adequate security for their operations, private security companies are now filling the void left by state forces. Little analysis, however, has been made of the impact of private security companies on the delivery of post‐Cold War humanitarian assistance. To make this analysis, the article considers the changes in humanitarian activity, the relevant services offered by private security p…
Accountable to whom? An assessment of international private security companies in South America
This article counters the contention that international private security companies (PSCs)1 are not subject to accountability mechanisms. It identifies four mechanisms — political, administrative, market and judicial — and instead asserts that the key issues are the effectiveness and appropriateness of these mechanisms. Using cases of US‐based PSCs operating in South America, the article reveals the attributes of PSC accountability mechanisms, but…
American hegemony incorporated
The article contends that private military contractors supporting American military operations in Iraq will come under intense international scrutiny. Various factors have led to the substantial private presence and the Iraq case reveals shifts in international dynamics from state to private actors. However, the private presence raises concerns that will have to be considered due to the fishbowl qualities of the Iraq case. How the state-contracto…
The Emperor's Leased Clothes
Making a Killing
Madelaine DrohanToronto: Random House Canada, 2003. 376pp, $37.95 cloth (ISBN 0-679-31197-1)With the increased focus upon non-state actors in recent times by both policy-makers and analysts, Madelaine Drohan's book examines arguably the darkest characteristic of one type of non-state actor: commercial entities operating in the developing world that use force to accrue profit. Guided by the overarching question of What would drive company...to san…
Between public peacekeepers and private forces
The article analyses the non-profit/non-state approach for UN peacekeeping as manifest in the proposal made by the Global Peace and Security Partnership (GPSP). The article contends that while there is an obvious need for such an initiative, measured either by worldwide demand or by problems related to private, profit-seeking firms, this third way between public peacekeepers and private forces would face considerable challenges. These challenges …
Transnational Corporations and Human Rights
Not a “Real State”
Since the 19905, pundits, parliamentarians, and professors alike have criticized the Liberal government for its seeming neglect of the Canadian forces (CF) and the resulting decline.1 They claim that spending cuts in defence threaten Canada's international standing. They contend that, for the United States, troop cuts make Canada an even more junior (and burdensome) partner in terms of North American defence. They assert that government prioritie…
Not a "Real State"? Defence Privatization in Canada
Special Operations Forces a Strategic Resource
S ince the late 1980s, and especially since the tragic events of 11 September 2001, two phenomena, both known for their pragmatic and controversial nature, have come together to pose challenges for US policymakers. The first phenomenon is the rise in importance of special operations forces (SOF). This is evident in the 1987 creation of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) later followed by the Bush Administration's 2004 decision…
Contracting a Counterinsurgency? Implications for US Policy in Iraq and Beyond
Washington's growing reliance upon international private security companies (PSCs) will lead to these firms becoming prominent vehicles in the prosecution of the counterinsurgency in Iraq. This shift, however, risks labeling PSCs as mercenaries and presents considerable challenges regarding the control of non-state violence. Moreover, tradeoffs exist regarding the different nationalities of PSC personnel. Utilization of personnel from the develop…
Private, Armed and Humanitarian? States, NGOs, International Private Security Companies and Shifting Humanitarianism
The article contends that, in the light of contemporary challenges, states are not only changing the meaning of the word 'humanitarian', but are also creating an expanding marketplace that includes international private security companies (PSCs) in the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Three types of factors — supply, demand, and ideational — have led to this development. On the supply side, state-demanded limitations on the private employment…
The Changing Forms and Utility of Force
The Canadian forces are rightly interested in new armed actor, whether employed by Canada or by another allied country, present in its areas of operations - the international private security company. In Afghanistan alone, some 28,000 privately employed personnel provide security to variety of international clients. Numbers such as these highlight the substantial growth of the private security industry since its modest start at the end of the Col…
Back to the Future
As the crisis in Darfur drags on - a crisis that has consumed the lives of 400,000 people and displaced two million more since 2003 - the international community's response to the tragedy faces increasing scrutiny and criticism. In particular, two internationally sanctioned military operations, the hybrid United Nations African Union Mission in Sudan (UNAMID) and its predecessor, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), have received considerab…
Fatherhood Across Two Generations
This article examines the determinants of men's early parental roles, distinguishing factors that affect being a father versus being childless, and factors that affect being a resident versus a nonresident father, in the context of having a partner or not. We also consider whether these patterns have changed between 1985 and 2004. The data come from the linked Child-Mother and Young Adult Samples of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 …
Against the Current? Somali Pirates, Private Security, and American Responsibilization
The American call for commercial shippers to rely upon private security companies (PSCs) to protect their vessels from Somali pirates presents several challenges to sea users. Though this call for responsibilization inherently reveals state limitations, not all commercial shippers embrace it because it upsets traditional conceptions regarding order at sea. Also, the call's American origins suggest that the United States Navy may not work to ensur…
UN Peacekeeping and the International Private Military and Security Industry
UN peacekeeping continues to confront qualitative and quantitative difficulties. Arguments in favour of using private military and security companies (PMSCs), particularly those referring to the 1990s-era when Executive Outcomes was operating, have been aired. The article examines earlier operational arguments for PMSC participation in UN peacekeeping, which at times have been reintroduced in more recent assertions: (1) PMSCs have better organiza…
Private Military and Security Companies v. International Naval Endeavours v. Somali Pirates
The demand for international maritime policing to counter Somali pirates is outstripping state supply. Hence, private military and security companies (PMSCs) are receiving considerable attention. These firms have a defensive/client-based security orientation that differs from naval patrolling and convoying. PMSCs offer close protection better suited for countering the rapidity of Somali pirate attacks and can avoid the legal and operational chall…
Special Operations Forces & Private Security Companies
This article examines the potential role of private security companies as part of a global special forces network. It reveals three factors that may influence the utility of such companies: (1) the industry's largely defensive focus; (2) the implications of serving a humanitarian and development clientele; and (3) the challenges of retired special forces personnel moving to the private sector
Canada and contracted war
It is important to recognize the multifaceted, and sometimes necessary, role military and security contracting played in supporting the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in Afghanistan. It is also important to assess the degree to which this expeditionary experience might shape later Canadian engagement with the private sector. To do so, the paper first identifies the four key areas of CAF military and security contracting pertaining to the mission in …
Contemporary military contracting and the future
Since the start of the twenty-first century, military contractors such as Blackwater (now named Academi), Kellogg, Brown & Root, and SNC Lavalin have become household names in many countries. The reasons for their prominence vary from case to case. One is notoriety. Particular firms hold contracts valued in the millions if not billions of dollars, and the conduct of some firms has not been beyond reproach in terms of military effectiveness or the…
Russia's Military and Security Privatization
This article discusses the conflicting use of nonstate actors in state-sponsored actions. It also introduces a diplomatic strategy for regulating the application of violence by private military and security companies
Since you left
In the late 1990s when Canada was largely removing itself from United Nations peace support endeavours, private military and security companies were heralded as likely replacements. Canada has indicated its desire to reengage in a United Nations peace support milieu in which there is now a private military and security presence. It is not the type of presence initially envisioned, but it is one with multiple impacts regarding training and operati…
U.S. privateering and China in the 21st century
Given calls for the United States to launch privateers against China, the article contends that such an effort would be unsuccessful for two reasons. First, the contemporary private military and security industry – the focal point of present calls – is not attuned to privateering. This is because of the following: its defensive posture; quantitative and qualitative issues related to maritime vessels; its non-U.S. ownership; concerns about innocen…
Wagner Group
Though the same descriptors have been applied to Wagner Group and US/Western Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs), this article differentiates the two experiences to better appreciate Wagner Group's unique characteristics. To make this differentiation, the article examines the distinctions between defensive and offensive violence, the access to crewed weapons, and an integrated team approach. In this way, the article presents Wagner Gr…
Political science (28 works) · Law (18 works) · Military and Defense Studies (17 works) · Law (16 works) · Defense, Military, and Policy Studies (14 works) · Public Administration (14 works) · Business (13 works) · Economics (11 works) · Public Administration (11 works) · Political economy (10 works)