Wearing the outside in : internal deployment of the armed forces in Germany and Italy

Abstract

The distinction between internal and external security, and between police and military functions, traditionally considered a core principle of the liberal-democratic state, has become increasingly blurred. This development has been manifest in a number of ways, such as the growing internationalization of policing, or the convergence between law enforcement and foreign intelligence, but the most visible—and arguably also the most problematic—aspect of the convergence between internal and external security functions has been the increasing use of military forces within the boundaries of the state. While often associated with authoritarian regimes and repressive practices, in recent years, many if not all, liberal-democratic states have increasingly used their armed forces on the national territory. Somewhat surprisingly, though, this development has thus far not received much attention in the academic literature. Whereas a number of studies exist on the changing role of military force in the post-Cold War era, the focus has almost exclusively been on the new tasks and functions military forces have come to assume in the context of international peace operations. The growing involvement of militaries in addressing domestic challenges, by contrast, has thus far been largely neglected.