Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Research Articles

Human Security and the Stabilization Mandate of MINUSCA

ABSTRACT This article looks narrowly at whether a ‘human security’ approach can be seen in a UN peace operation that pursues stabilization, namely the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). The UN’s interpretation of stabilization has not been expressly set out, but stabilization missions typically work alongside the host state to extend state authority and use robust force to counter spoilers. Human security is a concept which is rights-based, promotes the ‘vital core’, has a concern for vulnerability, utilizes preventative protection methods, and empowers local persons to have agency in the peace process. Attempts have been made to institutionalize and mainstream human security practices within the UN. An analytical framework of human security is outlined in this article and used to assess to what extent the mandate of MINUSCA pursues human security-based goals. An extensive review of UN documentation looks at the mandate and practice of MINUSCA and it is argued that the mission does seek to empower local people, engage in a bottom-up manner and entrench the rule of law. The analytical framework also casts light on aspects of the stabilization mandate which are problematic such as militarization and cooperation with the host state.

United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali

UNITED NATIONS MULTIDIMENSIONAL INTEGRATED STABILIZATION MISSION IN MALIThe security and political instability of West and Central African countries is influenced by several factors and is a topical issue for the United Nations UN and the European Union’s EU foreign policy. The security of the region decreased to a low level after the declaration of the war on terrorism in 2003. According to the Global Peace Index GPI, which takes into account the militarization and security of society, countries such as Mali 2.686 — 144, Central African Republic 3.236 — 155 or Libya 3.262 — 157 compared to other countries of the world have long been in the unflattering index position, which is evaluated by 163 countries. The destabilization of Libya and the consequences of the fall of the dictatorial regime of Muammar Gaddafiled to the subsequent spread of instability in the region in 2011. After the emergence of the radical organization of the Islamic State IS, as well as other organized armed groups in the Middle East and in some African Union states, fighters are rapidly expanding into Mali, Mauritania and Niger. The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali MINUSMA was launched in July 2013. As asymmetric terrorist attacks on UN peacekeepers have increased, a UN-level debate was held to strengthen the mandate and capabilities of UN MINUSMA. Contributing countries of the African Union were aware of the fact that terrorist attacks could spread to neighboring countries and therefore called on UN Member States to become more actively involved in the mission in Mali. The pre-sented article analyzes the political and security situation of Mali and the participation of members of the Army of the Czech Republic at the UN MINUSMA. The author of the article concluded that Mali in the post-conflict reconstruction needs to implement all stages of post-conflict reconstruction and necessarily needs the presence of UN and EU troops.Participation of members of the Army of the Czech Republic should correspond to the ambitions of the Czech Republic within the EU in achieving the objectives of stabilizing the unstable territories in the neighborhood in order to prevent future potential security risks.

The participation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the peacekeeping operations

The main historical and contemporary participation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in peacekeeping operations are described. The key notions of peacekeeping are defined showing this definition as the main rational tool for preventing and resolving disputes, threats, conflicts at the national, regional and global levels is the modern peacekeeping system. The main laws of Ukraine concerning peacekeeping operations are characterized with defining objectives for these operations.The attention is focused on the Ukraine’s participation in different international peacekeeping operations including 26 operations which ended and 8 ongoing operations. An important aspect of Ukraine’s participation in peacekeeping on the African continent is its coordinated actions with the United Nations on the diplomatic settlement of conflicts and the adherence to official statements regarding them.Peacekeeping missions are currently operating in Liberia, Congo, Sierra Leone, Sudan (Darfur and Juba) and other African countries. In particular, these are peacekeeping missions such as: the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), the UN Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (ONUCI), the African Union – United Nations Operation in Darfur (UNAUMID), the UN peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), demilitarization and peacekeeping in the disputed area of Abyei (UNISFA), the UN Mission in the Republic of Southern Sudan (UNMISS), UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSCA).Ukrainian peacekeeping potential is analysed. Participation of the armed forces of Ukraine in peacekeeping operations of the United Nations is one of the priority foreign policy tasks of our state, successful implementation of which positively influences strengthening of the national authority of Ukraine, promotes development of cooperation with Euro-Atlantic and regional security structures and has an exceptional significance for the national interests of our country. Ukraine claims to be a full-fledged subject of international relations, increases its credibility and demonstrates a peaceful policy.

Information Processing Challenges in Peacekeeping Operations: A Case Study on Peacekeeping Information Collection Efforts in Mali

ABSTRACTInformation analysts are often hindered by uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity, and equivocality when trying to support peacekeeping operations. This article puts forward a conceptual framework that explains what each of these information challenges entails and how uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity, and equivocality hamper peacekeeping efforts. To assess the conceptual value of linking these information challenges to peacekeeping efforts, this article zooms in on the information support system within the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), though other cases are also considered. The peacekeeping information collection and analysis efforts in Mali illustrate that peacekeeping missions ideally should be equipped with the capacity to overcome information challenges related to uncertainty and complexity in order to support the tactical and operational level of peacekeeping missions. In order to understand decision-making context and support the strategic level, it is also important that information analysts within peacekeeping mission can reduce information challenges related to ambiguity and equivocality. The importance of understanding the decision-making context speaks to the emphasis on sequenced mandates in the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) report. In order to timely adjust the mandate of a peacekeeping mission, the leadership of a peacekeeping mission needs to be alerted of any changes in the decision-making context.

Treatment of patients with extremity traumas occurred during peacekeeping missions in Northern Mali

En Février 2016, le camp de la Mission Multidimensionnelle Intégrée des Nations Unies pour la Stabilisation du Mali (MINUSMA) de Kidal a fait l'objet d'une attaque faisant de nombreux blessés et des morts. Le but de ce travail était de déterminer la nature des lésions des membres et décrire leur prise en charge. Il s'est agi d'une étude transversale descriptive portant sur les lésions des membres des victimes de l'attaque du complexe du camp de la MINUSMA de Kidal. Les paramètres étudiés étaient l'âge, le sexe, le délai d'admission, le siège des lésions et le traitement chirurgical d'urgence réalisé. Soixante blessés dont 57(95%) hommes et 3(5%) femmes ont été admis. L'âge moyen des patients était de 28,9 ans. Nous avons recensé 127 lésions sur les 60 blessés dont 109 (85,8%) siégeaient sur les membres. Apres l'examen clinique et radiologique, nous avons retrouvé 32 cas (29,3%) de délabrement musculo-cutanées, 11 cas (10,1%) de fractures qui étaient toutes ouvertes, 15 cas (13,7%) de brulûre et 8 cas (7,3%) de lésion vasculaire et nerveuse puis 7 cas d'entorse. Les blessés grave ont bénéficié d'une réanimation dès leur admission et 4 parmi eux ont été opérés en urgence. Les autres blessés ont été opérés une fois leur état hémodynamique stabilisé par les mesures de réanimations. Six patients (10%) ont été évacués vers un hôpital de niveau 3 pour la poursuite de la prise en charge. Quatre blessés (6,7%) sont décédés. Les lésions des membres sont fréquentes mais n'engagent pas directement le pronostic vital du blessé lorsqu'elles sont isolées. Leur principale hantise demeure l'infection et la gangrène qui peuvent aboutir à l'amputation.

Peacekeeping's Digital Economy: The Role of Communication Technologies in Post-conflict Economic Growth

ABSTRACTPeacekeeping operations, mandated through the United Nations and regional bodies, play an increasingly diverse role in the economic development of post-conflict countries. A key way that missions can use their administrative capacity to support economic recovery is developing effective technology use and acquisition strategies in host countries, which is a peacekeeping-wide policy goal outlined in the high-level Performance Peacekeeping report. Our paper introduces the theoretical channels through which missions’ use of information communication technologies (ICTs) can support local economic development in post-conflict settings, making a theoretical argument that draws on both the literature on ICTs in peacekeeping and in economic development. We specify a Cobb–Douglas model that describes the potential impact of peacekeeping mission-led ICT investment on longer term economic development in combination with statistics on mission technology spending and internet use in host countries, providing a formal scaffold for our theoretical argument. Using this model and data in combination with a case study of the Central African Republic-based United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic mission, we argue that peacekeeping missions should use their purchasing power and stabilizing influence to attract value-added technology investment to support economic development.

Peacekeeping's Digital Economy: The Role of Communication Technologies in Post-Conflict Economic Growth

Peacekeeping operations, mandated through the United Nations and regional bodies, play an increasingly diverse role in the economic development of post-conflict countries. A key way that missions can use their administrative capacity to support economic recovery is developing effective technology use and acquisition strategies in host countries, which is a peacekeeping-wide policy goal outlined in the high-level Performance Peacekeeping report. Our paper introduces the theoretical channels through which missions’ use of information communication technologies (ICTs) can support local economic development in post-conflict settings, making a theoretical argument that draws on both the literature on ICTs in peacekeeping and in economic development. We specify a Cobb–Douglas model that describes the potential impact of peacekeeping mission-led ICT investment on longer term economic development in combination with statistics on mission technology spending and internet use in host countries, providing a formal scaffold for our theoretical argument. Using this model and data in combination with a case study of the Central African Republic-based United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic mission, we argue that peacekeeping missions should use their purchasing power and stabilizing influence to attract value-added technology investment to support economic development.

Friction and Inequality among Peacekeepers in Mali

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was established in 2013 to support Mali’s peace process. It represents an emerging practice of deploying UN peacekeeping missions in asymmetrical conflict environments where there is no peace to keep. While MINUSMA represents Europe’s return to peacekeeping, the largest troop contributors by a wide margin are African countries. Through exploring the task of securing mission convoys to the northern regions of the country, Signe Cold-Ravnkilde, Peter Albrecht and Rikke Haugegaard show how inequalities between European and African soldiers shape the distribution of death, danger and supplies in what has been named the world’s deadliest UN mission.

Sweden and the UN: a rekindled partnership for peacekeeping?

ABSTRACTIn June 1993 Sweden contributed 1,041 soldiers to United Nations (UN) missions, making up some 1.5 per cent of the total number of UN troops. Two decades later, the picture looked very different. In June 2013 Sweden only deployed one person to UN-led peacekeeping operations, excluding military observers and staff officers. This article explains the shifts in Swedish contributions to UN peacekeeping. It does so by first providing a background to Swedish historically strong support for UN peacekeeping, examining Sweden’s policy of neutrality and non-alignment as well as sense of moral duty to champion a more equal world order. This is followed by a discussion on the sharp decline in Sweden’s participation from the mid-1990s and its underlying reasons, such as the desire to transform the Swedish Armed Forces. The ensuing section considers Sweden’s participation in UN peacekeeping today, which expanded with the deployment of Swedish peacekeepers to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission (MINUSMA) in Mali. Finally, possible future scenarios are outlined. While Sweden is expected to continue to resolutely support the UN and its efforts, international security developments, particularly those close to home, together with financial considerations will likely be decisive to Sweden’s future contributions to UN peacekeeping.

A Dutch return to UN peacekeeping?

ABSTRACTThis article covers the Dutch role in UN peacekeeping. The Netherlands has a long tradition of political and military involvement in UN peacekeeping. Like other European countries, its participation decreased considerably from the end of the 1990s onwards. The Dutch only ‘returned’ in 2014 when they delivered a substantial number of troops for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in Mali. This article starts with putting Dutch participation in UN peacekeeping into an historical context. It continues with an analysis of the reasons for withdrawal and subsequently explores the obstacles and opportunities for a structural return. The article argues that the decision to participate in MINUSMA is mainly explained by national interests and domestic factors. More in particular, government coalition politics explains why the Netherlands sent troops to Mali. In that sense, the Dutch ‘return to UN peacekeeping’ was not part of a structural change in policy-making, but depended for a large part on domestic political dynamics.

Can the UN Stabilize Mali? Towards a UN Stabilization Doctrine?

Almost two years after the deployment of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in July 2013, the increasing number of asymmetric terrorist attacks targeting UN peacekeepers – in the context of a drawn-out peace process – has raised a number of questions in Mali, the sub-region, and in New York, over the relevance and adequacies of MINUSMA’s mandate and capabilities. It also raises a broader issue, of whether the consent-based UN peacekeeping tool is appropriate and can be effective in carrying out stabilization mandates in such a context and what doctrine such operations should be based on. The UN is indeed under increasing pressure from host countries and some African troop-contributing countries to go on the offensive. Member States have also increasingly recognized terrorism and organized crime as a strategic threat, and while opposed to the UN directly engaging in counterterrorism (CT) operations, some may wish to see the UN playing a greater stabilization role following the January 2013 French military intervention in Mali. However, little guidance and means have been given so far to UN missions for dealing with such threats and implementing effective stabilization mandates. The High-Level Panel on Peace Operations, which recently released its report, noted that the usage of the term “stabilization” by the UN requires clarification. This article analyses the complex and evolving nature of threats in northern Mali and implications for MINUSMA and describes the military and political tools – including mediation – so far available within and outside the UN. The article concludes that the UN is bound to move towards stabilization when and if deployed in contexts such as Mali’s if it wants to remain relevant. However, such a move should be based on an overarching UN stabilization doctrine and context-specific UN-wide stabilization strategies which are first and foremost political, and should not be confused with the reestablishment of state authority. Such a move should also be accompanied by reforms in the design of ‘lighter’ but more capable UN operations, and partnership with non-UN parallel fighting forces with shared stabilization objectives, but with a clear division of labor

Political stability remains a challenge - Interview: Babacar Gaye, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the Central African Republic and Head of the UN Multinational Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA)

In April 2014, the United Nations Security Council authorized the establishment of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). The mission, led by Babacar Gaye, the special representative of the UN secretary-general in the country, is mandated to protect civilians and support peace efforts. Damian Cardona, a UN staffer, recently sat down with Mr. Gaye, a Senegalese national, in the capital Bangui for an interview for Africa Renewal. Following are the excerpts:

Central African Republic: new UN mission

The success of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR will depend on its ability to adapt to the shifting dynamics of a conflict that has gripped the country since early 2013. It hopes to succeed where eight previous peacekeeping missions since 1979 have failed.

Mali: A New Challenge for Peacekeeping

In the past few years many conflicts have intensified in Africa, one of which have caused a new peacekeeping mission to be deployed to Mali, and already existing operations to be strengthened. Mali was the first victim of the chaos caused by the Arab Spring and the international intervention in Libya. The heavily armed Tuareg returned to Mali after the Libyan intervention, and their separatist aspirations caused an interior conflict that escalated when terrorist groups got involved. A democratically functioning country collapsed from one day to another. The crisis in Mali is a difficult challenge for the international community because it has to organize a multidimensional peacekeeping mission, while having to fight against terrorism. Moreover, the global economic crisis forced these nations to reduce their military spending without compromising effectiveness. The present paper deals with the complexity of the conflict in Mali and examines whether the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), the peacekeeping mission in Mali, is able to comply with the expected requirements.

Operationalizing Civilian Protection in Mali: The Case for a Civilian Casualty Tracking, Analysis, and Response Cell

This practice note details an emerging best practice of civilian harm mitigation in armed conflict: the creation of civilian casualty tracking, analysis, and response processes by a warring party or peacekeeping force. It asserts that in Iraq, Afghanistan, and soon Somalia, processes aimed at better understanding civilian harm and addressing its consequences have positively shaped mission tactics, training, and overall operations. In both Iraq and Afghanistan, tracking and analysis has led to a marked decrease in civilian casualties and facilitated the making of amends for any civilian losses. The paper argues that for warring parties to achieve their mission—particularly one with a protection of civilians mandate, such as the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)—they must fully understand the impact of their actions on the civilian population, positive or negative. For this reason, a Civilian Casualty Tracking, Analysis, and Response Cell should be created for MINUSMA to improve its ability mitigate risk to civilians as required by its UN Security Council mandate.