Recent scandals surrounding arms procurement have highlighted how corruption in the Nigerian defence sector is threatening Nigerian security. Billions of dollars of equipment meant for soldiers to fight Boko Haram have allegedly been misappropriated by top-level defence and security officials, eroding the armed forces’ ability to respond to conflict and endangering the lives of Nigerian […]
Corruption is a key driver of conflict and instability and poses a direct threat to the successful implementation of peacekeeping mandates. As the Report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations recognises, corruption provides financing for organised criminal groups, leads to violent extremism and public unrest, and can undo years of peacekeeping efforts. Recently […]
The Defence Companies Anti-Corruption Index 2015 measures the transparency and quality of ethics and anti-corruption programmes of 163 defence companies from 47 countries.
In this study Transparency International’s London-based Defence and Security Programme explores in some detail how security assistance programmes fared in an environment affected by corrupt practices and the nexus of corruption and criminality. The case study here is security assistance provided to the Malian Army by the U.S. and France in 2001-2012, i.e. prior to […]
Honduras is among the poorest and most unequal countries in the world and suffers from the world’s highest homicide rate. Corruption is also a problem, which, added to the perception of insecurity, has had the effect of eroding confidence in the country’s institutions. As a direct result of these dire conditions, Alianza por la Paz […]
The effectiveness of international interventions and defence capacity building programmes is at considerable risk from corruption threats in countries being supported. Corruption can not only reduce the chances of success of the mission, but can also lead to complete subversion of its intent. This paper discusses ways in which the international community can better recognise […]
How can governments protect themselves from corruption in the contracting process, without becoming overburdened by long and detailed legal processes? This report offers a new option: suspension and debarment systems. Suspension and debarment systems protect governments from engaging doing business with contractors who pose a business risk by preventing them from participating in government contracts […]
This interview with Avgustina Tzvetkova, former Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Defence, analyses the experiences from Bulgaria’s Defence Integrity Initiative between 2009 to 2013. Many important anti-corruption reform measures were introduced by the Ministry of Defence in this period, even though they were not continued by the subsequent government. The purpose of this interview is to […]
This article contributes to the debate on conceptualizing corruption by suggesting that sector-specific typologies of corruption risks are useful heuristics that encourage understanding of corruption without attempting to define it in a way that is inherently contestable or inappropriately succinct. To develop this position, this article reflects on the difficulties in trying to define corruption […]
Corruption is a feature of all conflicts, playing a key role in the power-struggle between competing groups for resources and power. This places mission leaders in a challenging situation because it means engagement with corrupt entities is frequently inevitable. This handbook is directed at military and civilian leadership and their staff involved in planning and […]
Full and open competition is one tool for governments to help ensure best value for money. Yet previous studies highlight that the defence sector is poor in this respect. This report explores trends in the award of non-competitive or single-source contracts in defence.
This report reviews the security classification legislation of fifteen countries which have grappled with the need to balance national security concerns with granting citizens the right to access information.