Abstract
ABSTRACT Coherence is a core objective in most multinational interventions and seems of particular relevance to UN peacekeeping missions with their increasing complexity and multidimensionality. Yet, coherence has rarely been studied empirically. We borrow the concept of ‘fit’ from organizational theory and use it to develop a conceptual framework to study coherence in peacekeeping operations. Fit is the degree of match between what is required by the mandate, on the one hand, and an institutional set-up and the implemented practices, on the other. We identify three relevant dimensions of fit to study coherence: strategic and organizational, cultural and human and operational fit. Our empirical material focuses on the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and in particular on the interplay between the intelligence components and the rest of the mission. We draw upon a large empirical dataset containing over 120 semi-structured interviews, field observations and participation in pre-deployment exercises and evaluation sessions. Our empirical analysis suggests that low level of fit across several dimensions leads to inertial and widespread frictions in the practice of peacekeeping and could potentially undermine peacekeeping effectiveness. Building on existing scholarship on micro-level approaches to peacekeeping, we hope to further the debate on organizational dynamics within peace operations.
Highlights
UN peacekeeping, and multinational interventions more generally, are currently struggling to meet two intertwined yet distinct aspirations
Reflecting on the concept of coherence in international interventions, Paris argued that prescribing improved coherence as a remedy for the contradictions and dilemmas that come with this type of operation is too simple a solution
It shies away from the possibility that there may be institutional inconsistencies in peace operations or that we still know too little about how to turn countries wrecked by conflict into secure and stable societies
Summary
UN peacekeeping, and multinational interventions more generally, are currently struggling to meet two intertwined yet distinct aspirations. Most of the literature on coherence in peacekeeping operations has studied the structural and organizational barriers that prevent a mission from being successful, but has neglected to capture the de facto practices of mandate implementation. We argue that coherence has three components, namely (1) strategic and organizational fit, (2) cultural and human fit and (3) operational fit Focusing on these three dimensions of coherence allows us to empirically detect and conceptually categorize the structural and organizational constraints to higher levels of fit and coherence and the ways in which different components of the mission understand those constraints and react to them. We draw some conclusions and provide recommendations for future research
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