Peacekeeping and the Arab World

Abstract

This chapter examines the impact of India's rise on United Nations peacekeeping missions in Sudan. Participation in peacekeeping has always been shaped by broader geopolitical trends. South Asian countries continue to occupy the top three spots on lists of troop-contributing countries (TCCs), while the ability to define the mandate of UN missions has long been controlled by England, France, and the United States. As India seeks a greater role on the global stage, it has destabilized this traditional binary that has defined UN peacekeeping since its inception. This chapter considers Indian involvement in UN peacekeeping in the Arab world, with a focus on the country's involvement in missions in Sudan and South Sudan. The UN currently is involved with three distinct missions in Sudan: the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), and the joint African Union/UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). This chapter discusses India's contribution of troops to UNMISS.