CIAO DATE: 04/05

Civil Society and Democratic Oversight of the Security Sector: A Preliminary Investigation

Abstract

Civil society has become a popular term in academic, policy and foreign assistance circles. A significant body of literature and research has developed around the concept, and its key role in consolidating and sustaining democracy is now widely recognised by academics and policy-makers alike. Successive waves of democratisation in Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe have led experts to view civil society as a crucial agent for limiting authoritarian government, strengthening the empowerment of the people, and enforcing political accountability. It is considered a crucial factor in improving the quality and inclusiveness of governance.

Yet the term is often used loosely and with imprecision as a more current replacement for the more general "society". This is especially so in defence and security affairs, where there has been little research to date that has focused explicitly on the relevance of civil society and the non-governmental domain in general to this particular sector of public policy. Civil society is often invoked in discussions about democratic control and accountability of armed forces, for example. It is usually considered an important, albeit informal, mechanism of public oversight and accountability of those institutions providing security for the society and state. However, civil society′s relation to the armed forces and the security sector more broadly is in practice rarely addressed in any depth, either at a conceptual or empirical level.

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