The US Navy SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound on May 2, 2011 brought into question the Pakistani army’s domination over nearly all aspects of the state. Pakistanis wondered how these events could have occurred right under the nose of the military. This issue paper examines the prospects for security sector governance in Pakistan and identifies the reforms necessary for the government to make meaningful strides in this area. The paper examines persistent shortcomings in security governance; however, it also highlights key areas where there have been recent improvements, including disaster management and control of nuclear arms.

Over 5,000 human rights complaints have been filed against the military during President Felipe Calderón’s administration, but only one soldier has been punished by the military justice system. Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled on July 12, 2011 that the military should not have jurisdiction over cases of human rights abuse by soldiers. The third in a series of issue papers on current security sector reform issues, this paper discusses proposed reform to the Code of Military Justice necessary to ensure that all human rights violations are tried in civilian courts.

This special report, commissioned by Public Safety Canada, follows a two-day workshop on security sector reform (SSR) organized by CIGI in partnership with Public Safety Canada.

Gender and informal justice have often been overlooked in the broader security sector reform (SSR) agenda. A joint CIGI and North-South Institute conference, held in Ottawa on September 23, 2010, aimed to increase awareness of these two areas of SSR.