Dr. Marc von Boemcken
Key expertise
Everyday security practices, theories of war and organized violence, political economy of security, arms export control.
(Academic) education / CV:
MA 2002 (Lancaster University/UK); Dr. rer. pol. 2012 (University of Duisburg-Essen)
Marc von Boemcken has been involved in a wide range of research projects at BICC. He worked on arms export control policy and developed the Global Militarization Index (GMI). In 2010 and 2011 Marc completed field research in Timor-Leste, Liberia and Peru on the impact of private security companies on development-related factors. His PhD thesis focussed on the political economy of state and non-state security practices. Between 2013 and 2015, he was co-editor of the annual Peace Report / Friedensgutachten. Since 2015 he coordinates a research project on the everyday ‘securityscapes’ of marginalized groups in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, which is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. Besides working at BICC, Marc also regularly teaches seminars at the Institute of Political Science and Sociology of Bonn University. Further research interests include critical theories of security and war-making as well as concepts of conversion.
Important Publications:
- von Boemcken, M. (2016). Unknowing the unknowable. From ‘critical war studies’ to a critique of war. Critical Military Studies, 2(3), 226-241.
- Vollmer, R., & von Boemcken, M. (2014, June). "Europa off limits: Aufrüstung an den EU-Außengrenzen"
- von Boemcken, M. (2015). Verantwortung durch Ertüchtigung? Ausbildungshilfe und Waffenlieferungen als Mittel deutscher Außenpolitik. In J. Kursawe, M. Johannsen, C. Baumgart-Ochse, M. von Boemcken, & I. Werkner (Eds.), Friedensgutachten 2015 (pp. 87-99). Berlin: LIT.
- von Boemcken, M., & Grebe, J. (2014, June). "Gemeinsam uneinig: Ambivalenzen in der Kontrolle europäischer Rüstungsexporte"
- Grebe, J., & von Boemcken, M. (2013). "Schaffen Waffen Frieden und Stabilität?"
- von Boemcken, M. (2013). "Rüstungsmärkte ohne Grenzen. Neue Komplexe globalen Unfriedens"
- von Boemcken, M. (2013). Between Security Markets and Protection Rackets. Formations of Political Order
- von Boemcken, M., & Moltmann, B. (2012). "Der eingebildete Kranke. Rüstungsindustrie in Zeiten klammer Kassen"
- Franke, V., & von Boemcken, M. (2011). “Guns for Hire: Motivations and Attitudes of Private Security Contractors"
Recent Publications:
- von Boemcken, M. (2017, July). Defence conversion: Dead duck or still a relevant object of study? (BICC Working Paper series No. 7/2017). Bonn: BICC.
- von Boemcken, M., Schetter, C., Boboyorov, H., Bagdasarova, N., & Sulaimanov, J. (2016, June). Local Security-Making in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (BICC Working Paper series No. 5/2016). Bonn: BICC.
- von Boemcken, M. (2016). Unknowing the unknowable. From ‘critical war studies’ to a critique of war. Critical Military Studies, 2(3), 226-241.
- von Boemcken, M. (2016). The Political Economy of Security Practice. (Think Piece series No. 10). Berlin: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.
- von Boemcken, M., & Schetter, C. (2016). Security. What Is It? What Does It Do?. (Think Piece series No. 9). Berlin: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.
- von Boemcken, M. (2015). Ertüchtigung als neue Strategie europäischer Sicherheitspolitik. Berlin: Bundesministerium für Verteidigung.
- Kursawe, J., Johannsen, M., Baumgart-Ochse, C., von Boemcken, M., & Werkner, I.-J. (Eds.). (2015). Friedensgutachten 2015. Berlin: LIT.
- von Boemcken, M. (2015). Verantwortung durch Ertüchtigung? Ausbildungshilfe und Waffenlieferungen als Mittel deutscher Außenpolitik. In J. Kursawe, M. Johannsen, C. Baumgart-Ochse, M. von Boemcken, & I. Werkner (Eds.), Friedensgutachten 2015 (pp. 87-99). Berlin: LIT.
- von Boemcken, M. (2014). Commentary: Die deutsche Rüstungsindustrie braucht eine Diät!
- Werkner, I.-J., Kursawe, J., Johannsen, M., von Boemcken, M., & Schoch, B. (Eds.). (2014, July). Friedensgutachten 2014
- von Boemcken, M., & Grebe, J. (2014, June). "Gemeinsam uneinig: Ambivalenzen in der Kontrolle europäischer Rüstungsexporte"
- Vollmer, R., & von Boemcken, M. (2014, June). "Europa off limits: Aufrüstung an den EU-Außengrenzen"
- Schetter, C. (2014, June). "Afghanistan: von der Bürgerkriegs- zur Interventionsruine"
- von Boemcken, M. (2013). BICC Bulletin 64 "Security–Industrial Complexes"
- von Boemcken, M. (2013). BICC Bulletin 63 "Combat drones are not planes"
- von Boemcken, M. (2013). "Rüstungsmärkte ohne Grenzen. Neue Komplexe globalen Unfriedens"
- Grebe, J., & von Boemcken, M. (2013, April). German Arms Exports—"Strengthening instead of interference"
- von Boemcken, M. (2013). Between Security Markets and Protection Rackets. Formations of Political Order
- Grebe, J., & von Boemcken, M. (2013). "Schaffen Waffen Frieden und Stabilität?"
- von Boemcken, M. (2012, September). Dealing with Private Security Companies. Options for Development Cooperation in Timor-Leste, Liberia and Peru (BICC Focus series No. 11). Bonn: BICC.
- von Boemcken, M., & Moltmann, B. (2012). "Der eingebildete Kranke. Rüstungsindustrie in Zeiten klammer Kassen"
- von Boemcken, M., Ashkenazi, M., & Schmitz-Pranghe, C. (2011, December). Commercial Security and Development: Findings from Timor-Leste, Liberia and Peru (Brief series No. 45). Bonn: BICC.
- Franke, V., & von Boemcken, M. (2011). Attitudes, Values and Professional Self-Conceptions of Private Security Contractors in Iraq. An Exploratory Study
- Franke, V., & von Boemcken, M. (2011). “Guns for Hire: Motivations and Attitudes of Private Security Contractors"
- von Boemcken, M. (2009). "Condottieri der Gegenwart. Die Globalisierung des privaten Sicherheitsgewerbes“
- von Boemcken, M. (2009). “Arms Embargoes against Eritrea and Ethiopia”
- von Boemcken, M. (2009). “UN Arms Embargoes in the Great Lakes, 1994-2004"
- von Boemcken, M. (2009). "U-Boote, Fregatten und ausgemusterte Panzer. Deutsche Rüstungsexporte nach Lateinamerika"
- Franke, V., & von Boemcken, M. (2009). “Private Guns: The Social Identity of Security Contractors"
- von Boemcken, M. (2009). A Critical Meditation on the Dialectics of Technological Apocalypse
- von Boemcken, M. (2008). "Hochrüstung in armen Staaten? Differenzierung von Rüstungsdynamiken in Afrika südlich der Sahara"
- von Boemcken, M. (2008). "Das Private Militärgewerbe: Ursachen, Typen und Problemfelder"
- von Boemcken, M. (2008). “Deutsche Waffen nach Südamerika. Eine kritische Bestandsaufnahme"
- von Boemcken, M. (2008). "Network Centric Warfare oder die Automatisierung des Krieges"
- von Boemcken, M. (2008). Sicherheit als Wirtschaftsfaktor: Eine kritische Reflexion
- von Boemcken, M., & Krieger, N. (2006, December). Konzeptpapier - "Early warning - early action" Entwicklungspolitische Instrumente zur frühzeitigen Eindämmung von Gewaltkonflikten (Paper). Bonn: BICC.
- von Boemcken, M., & Sommer, J. (2006, May). Der Streit um das iranische Atomprogramm: Auf der Suche nach dem „kreativen Kompromiss“. Zum aktuellen Angebotspaket und den Erfolgsaussichten von Sanktionen (BICC Focus series No. 1). Bonn: BICC.
- Brzoska, M., von Boemcken, M., Paes, W.-C., & Jaspers, W. (2004, October). Incorporation of Defense Expenditures into Public Expenditure Work (Paper series No. 38). Bonn: BICC.
Projects:
- Forms of local security in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan—The emergence of securityscapes
- Reflection Group "Monopoly for the use of force 2.0?"
- Mercenary identities: The self-image of employees of private military-security companies in Iraq
- Commercial provision of security in development countries
- Early Warning – Early Action
- International academic conference “Challenges of organized violence: New research and potentials for conversion”
