United Nations Peace Research Articles

Silencing the Guns: African Traditional Proverbs and Aphorisms for Peace and Security in 21st Century Africa

Africa is yet entangled with some Western modernity responsible for their political crises and incessant insecurity. Insecurity in Africa has historical roots from pre-colonial to post-colonial periods. The continent's hosting of the seventh United Nations Peace Support mission and over 60 percent of the UN Security Council's agenda addresses African insecurity underscore the urgent need to tackle these challenges. This paper examines insecurity in Africa and advocates for reviving African traditional methods to restore peace, utilizing proverbs and wisdom. Through analysis, criticism, and prescription, it explores the inherent insecurity problems and argues that African proverbs offer valuable insights for fostering unity. The study compares Western crisis resolution methods with African approaches, concluding that traditional African means are a more effective alternative. It highlights Africa as a potential solution to its own insecurity while recognizing the benefits of Western methods. The paper concluded that Africa has strong indigenous values and security systems capable of addressing insecurity even before colonialism. The paper recommended that African traditional security outfits are more efficient and better considered as alternative measures to solving the problems of peace and insecurity in Africa rather than adopting the Western war-war method.

The future of UN peace operations: pragmatism, pluralism or statism?

Abstract Although United Nations peace missions have played an important conflict management role for decades, a backlash against the post-Cold War model of ‘liberal peacebuilding’ and other recent developments have called their future into doubt. Some observers contend that a ‘pragmatic turn’ is now underway—a shift away from ambitious plans to transform war-torn societies into liberal democracies and towards more modest and realistic goals. Whether ‘pragmatism’ offers a viable alternative framework for peacebuilding, however, is less clear. This article challenges key assumptions of the pragmatic approach to peacebuilding, including the notion that UN missions can be ‘agnostic’ about the governance arrangements of societies that host these operations, as some proponents of pragmatism recommend. Historical case-studies show that such assumptions are integral features of collective conflict management systems, including UN peace missions. Moreover, a close examination of the pragmatist approach reveals that it, too, is based on such assumptions—namely, that building peace requires the promotion of pluralist societies and states. Pluralist peacebuilding, the article concludes, could offer a compelling foundation for future UN missions in an era of rising statist–authoritarianism, but developing this approach will first require discarding pragmatism's pretence of ideological agnosticism.

Using force to protect civilians: successes and failures of United Nations peace operations in Africa

Using force to protect civilians: successes and failures of United Nations peace operations in Africa

United Nations Peace Operations and International Relations Theory Edited by Kseniya Oksamytna and John Karlsrud

A comprehensive review of the book United Nations (UN) Peace Operations and International Relations Theory, edited by Kseniya Oksamytna and John Karlsrud, helps analyze the challenging notion that International Relations (IR) theories are impersonal and abstract. The book offers insights into international conflict resolution through the practical application of various IR theories.

The Nature of the United Nations Peace Mission in South Sudan

This study delves into the nature of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and specifically explores UNMISS's key roles like violence reduction, political instability, the security situation, social cohesion, reduction of violence, protection of civilians and socio-economic development. The study was guided by two objectives; to assess the objectives and mandates of UNMISS, and to examine the effectiveness of the roles and mandates of UNMISS in addressing the underlying causes of conflict and fostering sustainable peace in South Sudan. The study was underpinned by two theories, conflict transformation and Liberalism institutionalism theory. The study adopted a mixed method design with a target of 3280 and a sample size of 354 which was determined by the Yamane (1967) formula. The study employed purposive, cluster, stratified, and systematic sampling. Primary data was collected through interview schedules and questionnaires which were supplemented by FGDs. While secondary data was collected through a review of various publications. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using SSP version 28 and thematic excerpts respectively. The study concludes that UNMISS has been in the front run to de-escalate hostilities by putting in place several strategies to create a conducive environment that supports dialogue and negotiation. This includes concerted DDR efforts that aim to reduce armed conflicts and prioritize the protection of civilians by fostering trust within the warring communities. Equally, UNMISS has played critical roles in ensuring social cohesion and political stability that are conducive to reconciliation and dialogue at the grassroots level. Peace-building initiatives have been achieved through missions’ commitment to the protection of human rights, social-economic development and availability of resources. The study recommends a substantial increase of resources to UNMISS and strengthening the SSR and DDR programs.

Understanding ‘refugee resettlement’ from below: Decoding the Rohingya refugees’ lived experience in Bangladesh

While the resettlement of displaced people often denotes rehabilitation in one way or another, the paper illuminates the paradox of resettlement between repatriation and relocation with the case of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. The Rohingya, considered the most persecuted ethnic minority in the world at present as per the United Nations (UN), are an ethnolinguistic and religious minority of Myanmar but at present most of them are living in Bangladesh as refugees. About 750 thousand Rohingyas fled a deadly genocidal attack perpetrated by the Myanmar security forces in 2017 and took refuge in Bangladesh. Combining with the previously living ones, Bangladesh now hosts more than 1.3 million Rohingyas as refugees in 34 temporary camps in Ukhia and Teknaf, two south-eastern sub-districts of Cox’s Bazar. This massive Rohingya presence has heavily impacted the local lives and resources and thereby the local community gradually became reluctant, though not yet hostile, to host them anymore. To accommodate the local pressure, Bangladesh made two consecutive repatriation attempts (the first one on November 15, 2018, and the second one on August 22, 2019) to send the Rohingya back to Myanmar but failed since none willingly returned to their ‘homeland’. The refusal was interpreted as non-cooperation of the international community, and non-preparation on Myanmar's part to accept the Rohingyas back and let them resume their lives safely in the Rakhine state where they used to live. Since the repatriation attempt did not work and local pressures started mounting, Bangladesh initiated a program to relocate a few thousand Rohingya families to Bhasan Char, a newly emerged island located in the Bay of Bengal under Noakhali district. Empirical data reveal that the physical facilities of Bhasan Char seem far better than the same of Ukhia and Teknaf. Still, Rohingya refugees remain reluctant to move due to their entrenched fear of cyclones, floods and tidal surges which, they believe, could wash them away anytime. The entire process of Rohingya relocation to Bhasan Char has created huge debates about whether the Island is safe-liveable for the Rohingya people since it is a twenty-year-old island and there was no experience of people living there. Still, it does not appear to be a convincing plan to resolve the displacement problem of the Rohingya refugees. Given the background, what the Rohingya people articulate their aspiration in the name of resettlement is completely missing in the entire planning and action to redress the Rohingya crisis. Empirical findings show that the majority of Rohingyas are willing to return ‘home’ if three conditions are met: legal recognition amid conferring citizenship, social safety through the deployment of UN peace troops, and human dignity so that they can enjoy all forms of human rights. So, the Rohingya perception of resettlement is repatriation with aforesaid conditions. Therefore, the paper argues that beyond the populist idea of resettlement in the form of rehabilitation or relocation, the whole discourse of resettlement could come up from the bottom and people’s perspectives which could be both crucial and instrumental in policy framing and action planning. The Rohingya refugees desire dignified repatriation with legal recognition and social safety which is largely absent in the activism of the human rights bodies and the action of the international communities as well as the state-level movements. Given the matrix of relocation and repatriation, resettlement takes a central point of discussion and debates whether resettlement could settle the Rohingya crisis in the place of migration. The paper with the experience of decade-long ethnographic research intends to rearticulate the people’s perception and ground-level view of (re)settlement to redress the Rohingya crisis in the interface of repatriation and relocation.

Understanding Bangladesh's security governance through peacekeeping assemblage: does contribution matter?

Abstract How do international peacekeeping experiences inform the security governance of contributing states from the global South? This article advances theoretical and policy arguments that international peacekeeping exposure contributes to forming multitudes of effects on domestic security affairs and shaping the contributing countries' security governance. The analysis problematizes the transformation of norms, policies, practices and institutional approaches in shaping the national security outlook of the contributing nations. Considering peacekeeping as a discursive ‘glo-cal’ affair and Bangladesh as a critical case, this study underscores how Bangladesh's contributions to United Nations Peace Support Operations (UNPSOs) inform its security governance. The article adopts a qualitative–interpretive approach to examine the assembling effects of Bangladesh's participation in such endeavours. It highlights the transformation in security institutions, new capacities in knowledge and income-generating sectors, new peacekeeping norms, and partnerships in security cooperation as the cornerstones in the national security outlook. Extending the purview of the existing literature on contributors' roles and impact, this article has offered assemblage as a dynamic conceptual lens to understand new domestic significance for the armed forces as global peace providers. Challenges related to the struggle for democracy, political stability and good governance persist in Bangladesh; nevertheless, the peacekeeping assemblage explains how the country has considered accelerating its global peace endeavours.

Reining in a liberal UN: China, power shifts, and the UN's peace and security pillar

AbstractHas the deepening of China's involvement with the United Nations (UN) actually led to significant China‐related shifts in power at the UN over the last three decades? This article explores this question in relation to the UN's move in the post Cold War era into a period of greater normative ambition that made the protection of the individual central to its efforts to maintain international peace and security. Conceptually, the article utilizes and adapts the four power types put forward by Barnett and Duvall (2005). Empirically, it draws on some core elements of the UN's expanded liberal normative agenda relating to the security of the individual. The article explores Beijing's attempts to revise or reverse the UN's liberal turn, assessing the extent to which China has been able, in the process, to effect a power shift. It concludes that China has had some, but as yet limited, successes. However, Beijing seems set to continue to be associated with the various types of power discussed here to press its case.

Legal Aspect in Peace Keeping Operation and Nepal

The United Nations (UN) Charter is the constitution of the UN, that underpins the operational framework of the UN, encompassing the peacekeeping mission to create conditions for lasting peace in conflict-torn countries. Nepal involved in all peace initiatives taken by the UN and largest troop contributor to the UN peacekeeping missions carrying the beacon of peace in the world initiated by Nepal’s enlightened son, Gautam Buddha. This study aims to identify the legal basis of the UN peacekeeping operations implied in the UN Charter and other international law concerning the influence of Buddha’s teaching of peace and non-violence on the global norms of peace. This study also aims to analyze Nepal’s adherence to human rights law and humanitarian law, as well as the legal aspects of Nepal’s participation in UN peacekeeping operations. Methodologically, the study follows a doctrinal approach, focusing on the examination of legal doctrines. The researcher draws upon multilateral conventions, resolutions of the General Assembly and Security Council, decisions of the International Court of Justice, reports, Nepal’s correspondence to the UN, speeches by the Nepali delegation in the UN General Assembly, Nepali laws related to UN peacekeeping, and journal articles as sources of data. This paper argues that as a birthplace of Buddha, Nepal needs to negotiate with the UN to expand its role in securing policy-level and command-level positions in UN peace initiatives, enabling it to contribute more to enhance the legal norms for peacekeeping operations with oriental knowledge of world peace.

In Pursuit of Excellence: Analysing the Indispensable Nature of Conduct and Discipline of Nepali Army in UN Peace Support Missions

Nepal is currently ranked 2nd among the Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) in United Nations Peace Support Operations. In this context, this paper examines the contribution of the Nepali Army's military conduct and discipline to the effectiveness of UN Peace Support Missions. The theoretical foundations delve into pertinent theories, particularly emphasizing Kevin S. Donohue's concepts of Discipline A (voluntary, value-based Attitudes) and Discipline B (externally enforced Behavioral responses) within the military framework. Maintaining conduct and discipline in UN peace operations is essential for ensuring the credibility and legitimacy of these missions. Therefore, prior UN reports and the Secretary General's Special Bulletin from 2015 to 2022 are comparatively analyzed to reflect on occurrences of misconduct involving peacekeepers from TCCs. Likewise, a quantitative comparative analysis assesses the status of the Nepali Army in terms of military conduct analyzing the rate of allegations of misconducts against it. The study employs descriptive statistics to analyze the status of misconduct allegations including that of serious misconduct to advocate for a stronger integration of military conduct with UN peacekeeping mandates, aiming to enhance overall effectiveness and elevate ethical standards in international peace operations. The findings underscore Nepal's exemplary practices in fostering both Discipline B and Discipline A within its peacekeeping forces. The paper concludes by demonstrating the substantial positive impact of disciplined behaviour on mission outcomes

NA’s Future Peacekeeping Engagement Through a Case of Operation Lifeline in UNMISS

The essay delves into Nepal's substantial involvement in UN peacekeeping, particularly examining the Nepali Army's role in Operation Lifeline within the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). It traces the historical origins of Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) and its transformation into Operation Lifeline (OLL) within UNMISS, emphasizing Nepal's enduring commitment to global peace. The narrative focuses on OLL-54, where the Nepali High Readiness Company (NEPHRC) played a crucial role, exceeding agreed-upon limits to ensure the safe passage of the barge in a complex security situation. The essay underscores the operational credibility and professionalism of the Nepali contingents especially NEPHRC, suggesting it as a case for Nepal's unique contribution to future UN peacekeeping efforts. It advocates for the systematic documentation of such experiences, envisioning the development of a unique Nepali peacekeeping model for the world. In conclusion, the essay asserts that Nepal has an opportunity to showcase its commitment and achievements in international peacekeeping, reinforcing its position as a significant contributor to the evolving landscape of UN peace missions.
 Nepali Army's (NA) six decades in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping is a reflection of Nepal's enduring commitment to global peace and security. This is not merely a legacy or an aggregate of numbers of participation, achievements, and sacrifices. NA today carries a huge baggage of experience and knowledgebase derived from different peacekeeping environments of conflict zones across the world from as many as 44 traditional and multi-dimensional UN peacekeeping missions. Quite significantly, NA can offer the UN a Nepali peacekeeping model based on lessons acquired through involvement and practice. From each mission and (the number of) contingents in those missions, NA has gathered tremendous lessons and learning (experience) from individuals - leaders and men alike and participating units. Yet very few attempts were made to collect those experiences and bring about inferences for its future application. The author believes that Nepal can contribute to the world with a unique outlook for future UN peacekeeping, which is always evolving. This paper, however, only attempts to discuss Operation Lifeline (OLL) of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in particular to derive lessons relevant for Nepal/NA to consider for the future.

Human Needs and Civilian Violence in United Nations Peace Keeping Operations: A Case of MONUSCO in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Citizens’ protests against UN Peacekeepers in Africa are on the increase. This article draws from MONUSCO's experience in DRC to address one crucial question: Why are local populations launching violent demonstrations against UN Peacekeepers in DRC? The study utilises human needs theory to reveal that unfulfilled civilian security needs manifest in violent mass protests against peacekeepers. This article argues that while civilian protection remains UN’s priority, violent demonstrations against MONUSCO in the DRC and emerging protests elsewhere in Africa put UN’s peacekeeping role into question. The study anticipates continued citizens’ protests unless there is a change in UN’s strategies to enhance the capability of peacekeeping operations. The article utilises qualitative data from key informant interviews and evidence from documentary sources. The analysis indicates that the Congolese population is frustrated with MONUSCO’s failure to protect them from a series of attacks by armed rebels. Consequently, citizens have launched violent demonstrations against peacekeepers to voice their concerns for meeting their security needs. This calls UN to review the peacekeeping strategy to ensure the relevance of peacekeeping operations for the long-term and effective protection of civilians.

A galaxy of norms: UN peace operations and protection of the environment in relation to armed conflict

AbstractGiven the increasing size and functions of United Nations (UN) peace operations (POs) and the fact that they often operate in contexts where natural resources are degraded, POs have repercussions on the environment. Yet, there is not much literature on their obligations regarding the protection of the environment in relation to armed conflicts. This article provides insights into the obligations of POs in relation to armed conflict. First, it highlights POs’ customary international environmental law obligations. Second, it delves into their environmental obligations under the UN's internal rules and the host State's laws. Third, it explores obligations that arise from their mandates. In each of these sections, the article highlights the relevance and application of these obligations in armed conflicts. The last section examines the obligations of POs to protect the natural environment under international humanitarian law.

Nomads and Warlords, Chadian Forces in African Peace Operations

Abstract Despite criticism of the United Nations (UN) as peacekeepers “hiding behind sandbags,” by the former president of Chad, the Chadian military has become a critical enabler of African-led and UN peace operations. This paper posits that the effectiveness of the Chadian forces stems from refined and modified nomad and warlord structures and attributes used during Chad’s various conflicts to build and improve its national army. This has allowed the Chadian regime to exercise and project power, thus, producing one of Africa’s most effective forces for current conflicts and challenges. Thus, Chad’s military leadership reflects a trend of states that use military prowess to project force, while maintaining international partnerships with permanent members of the unsc (the US and France), UN peacekeeping missions and African ad hoc security initiatives. Finally, the paper examines the implications of this trend for the evolving nature of African Peace and Security Architecture.

The Mutability of Uniform

The Mutability of Uniform

Alexander Gilder, Stabilization and Human Security in UN Peace Operations

Alexander Gilder’s Stabilization and Human Security in UN Peace Operations is a concise and accessible welcome addition to the academic literature on peacekeeping missions. The book analyses in detail the notion of stabilisation and its relation to the idea that peacekeeping operations can enhance human security. For many reasons, which are explored below, this book should be read by any legal or non-legal scholar interested in recent trends in peacekeeping operations. Legal works on peacekeeping operations, especially book-length endeavours, suffer mainly from two problems: first, it is difficult to explore peacekeeping operations from a purely legal perspective since there is scant law available on peacekeeping. At the risk of oversimplification, we should bear in mind that peacekeeping operations are not part of the original design of the Charter of the United Nations (UN), but rather, they are mainly governed by the specific mandate adopted by the UN Security Council (SC). Since the UNSC is a political organ with broad discretion and few available checks and balances, one could provocatively argue that the law on peacekeeping is merely the political will of the UNSC translated into a series of resolutions that share a very indeterminate and fluid common legal content.1 The second obstacle in analysing peacekeeping operations from a legal perspective is the staggering bulk of practice generated by the UNSC in this field. In trying to reduce all this practice to law—something that is in the DNA of international lawyers accustomed to working with rules generated by practice—it is very difficult to differentiate between such drastically different missions that are all labelled as peacekeeping. As one of my old mentors once told me, the UNSC has ‘watered down’ the idea of peacekeeping to the extent that today everything or nothing under the UNSC egis can be considered to be a peacekeeping mission depending on how flexible we interpret the boundaries of the notion of peacekeeping to be.

The UN and the Protection of Civilians: Sustaining the Momentum

Abstract The protection of civilians (PoC) concept remains contested twenty-three years after the first PoC mandate. Current PoC frameworks used by the United Nations (UN) do not assist with determining applicable legal standards. They lead the UN down an unsustainable path that risks diminishing political support for PoC, especially within intense conflicts and following well-documented protection failures. With ever-rising expectations from communities under protection, the UN’s ‘Three Tiers of PoC Action’, and the complexity and dilution of PoC mandates under a whole-of-mission approach, it becomes challenging to determine what missions must do to protect individuals. Undertaking a major re-evaluation of PoC, this article charts the progression of PoC mandates drawing on examples from several missions drawing out the diverse nature of PoC and subsequent activities. The article then argues that current definitions and practical applications of PoC have cast the net too wide, presented uncertainties, and leave PoC open to attack from Member States amidst a political climate of weakened support for collective security action. Instead, the discussion must shift towards a concise and shared understanding of what protection mandates entail for UN peace operations. The article suggests how PoC can be reconceptualised to distinguish a narrow and easily communicated minimum obligation to be placed on UN peacekeepers.

How Peacekeepers Fight: Assessing Combat Effectiveness in United Nations Peace Operations

Contrary to popular perceptions, United Nations (UN) peacekeepers engage in combat fairly frequently. A central challenge facing the UN is thus calibration between force and politics: ensuring the organization’s combat power is harnessed to viable political strategies for peace. However, the epistemic community on peacekeeping remains deeply divided between skeptics and proponents of “robust” operations, where peacekeepers are expected to use force to implement mission mandates. This article suggests that militarily effective, robust peacekeeping is most important for improving civilian protection and ensuring mission credibility in theaters where there is no peace to keep; proposes a novel framework and typology to assess combat effectiveness in UN peace operations; and compiles descriptive statistics for the 1948–2020 period. Finally, case studies of four battles involving UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo illuminate the conditions that are conducive to the UN’s combat effectiveness.

Analysis of the Strategic Role of Radio Okapi in United Nations Peace Keeping Operations in the DRC

Analysis of the Strategic Role of Radio Okapi in United Nations Peace Keeping Operations in the DRC

Special Operations Forces in United Nations Peace Keeping Operations

Special Operation Force’s had started to participate in the United Nations peacekeeping operations not long ago, but the consensus on acceptability of their use in peacekeeping operations has already been reached. Present article analyzes views on SOF use in peacekeeping as expressed by the specialist and enshrined in guidance documents of different countries, explores normative regulation formalized in mandates of respective peacekeeping operations and contemplates typical SOF tasks in peacekeeping operations as defined by the UN in „United Nations Peacekeeping Missions Military Special Forces Manual“.