UN Reforms for an Era of Pragmatic Peacekeeping

Abstract

ABSTRACT The era of liberal peacebuilding has passed, ushering in a turn toward pragmatic peacekeeping. Previously [Cassin, Katelyn, and Benjamin Zyla. 2021. “The End of the Liberal World Order and the Future of UN Peace Operations: Lessons Learned.” Global Policy 12 (4): 455–467] we argued that the UN must become less directive; accept a diffusion of control; and engage in more locally-driven approaches to peace interventions in light of this changing world order. In this article we posit that such reforms are contingent on change within liberal UN member states. We offer aligned strategic and operational recommendations for nations to reform their bureaucracies, training programmes, and framing strategies, to prepare for a fifth generation of UN peacekeeping that is normatively-flexible, collaborative, adaptive and relational.