Numerous empirical studies have examined the role of third-party peacekeeping in reducing violence around the world. Their results reveal an extraordinary relationship between peacekeepers and peace, ...notwithstanding a number of well-known problems. This review article has three goals. The first is to summarize the results of past empirical research to move the debate beyond the question of whether peacekeeping works to the more pressing questions of how, when and why it works. The second is to reveal the limitations of the current quantitative research in order to identify areas in which scholars can make big, new contributions to the field. The final goal is to propose a new research agenda that is heavily evaluative – one that informs policy makers about the specific practices, mission compositions, and mandates that work, and identifies the local, regional, and international conditions that amplify or diminish peacekeeping's effectiveness. This type of research could help reduce the costs of peacekeeping operations, eliminate some of the negative consequences of interventions and save even more lives.
Despite the abundance of evidence that peacekeeping works, we know little about what actually makes peacekeepers effective. Recent work suggesting that local agendas are central to modern conflicts ...make this omission particularly problematic. The article demonstrates that the presence of peacekeepers makes individuals more optimistic about the risks of engagement and the likelihood that members of out-groups will reciprocate cooperation. I use data from a lab-in-the-field experiment conducted in Mali, a West African country with an active conflict managed by troops from France and the United Nations (UN), to show that UN peacekeepers increase the willingness of individuals to cooperate relative to control and French enforcers. Moreover, I find that UN peacekeepers are especially effective among those participants who hold other groups and institutions in low esteem, as well as those who have more frequent contact with peacekeepers. Follow-up interviews and surveys suggest that perceptions of the UN as unbiased rather than other mechanisms account for its effectiveness.
Gabrielle Simm's critical re-evaluation of sex between international personnel and local people examines the zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and its international legal ...framework. Whereas most preceding studies of the issue have focused exclusively on military peacekeepers, Sex in Peace Operations also covers the private military contractors and humanitarian NGO workers who play increasingly important roles in peace operations. Informed by socio-legal studies, Simm uses three case studies (Bosnia, West Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to illustrate the extent of the problem and demonstrate that the problems of impunity for sexual crimes are not just a failure of political will but the result of the structural weaknesses of international law in addressing non-state actors. Combining the insights of feminist critique with a regulatory approach to international law, her conclusions will interest scholars of international law, peace and conflict studies, gender and sexuality, and development.
In International Law and Transition to Peace in Colombia, César Rojas-Orozco analyses the role of international law in transition from armed conflict to peace, by using the analytical framework of ...jus post bellum and Colombia as a case study. While contemporary attention to jus post bellum has focused on its theoretical development and regarding international warfare, this book is the first work to comprehensively assess the concept in practice and in the context of a non-international armed conflict. Discussing the creative formulas adopted in Colombia to conciliate international legal requirements and the practical needs of peace, the book offers concrete elements to understand the concept of jus post bellum as a framework to guide other transitions around the world. Readership: Scholars and practitioners interested in the role of international law at peacemaking and peacebuilding, in the concept of jus post bellum, and in the Colombian transition to peace.
This book critically examines the response of the United Nations (UN) to the problem of sexual exploitation in UN Peace Support Operations. It assesses the Secretary-Generals Bulletin on Special ...Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (2003) (SGB) and its definition of sexual exploitation, which includes sexual relationships and prostitution. With reference to people affected by the policy (using the example of Bosnian women and UN peacekeepers), and taking account of both radical and sex positive feminist perspectives, the book finds that the inclusion of consensual sexual relationships and prostitution in the definition of sexual exploitation is not tenable. The book argues that the SGB is overprotective, relies on negative gender and imperial stereotypes, and is out of step with international human rights norms and gender equality. It concludes that the SGB must be revised in consultation with those affected by it, namely local women and peacekeepers, and must fully respect their human rights and freedoms, particularly the right to privacy and sexuality rights.
This essay will examine the various means of enforcement that are available under international law to help secure compliance. Before turning to these various means, this essay will first address the ...criticism leveled against international law, namely that it does not qualify as law because it lacks sanctions.
The United Nations, which lacks its own peacekeeping force, faces three dilemmas when organizing a peacekeeping mission: convincing member states to contribute troops, persuading states to deploy ...troops quickly, and securing a troop commitment long enough to achieve success. The key to overcoming these challenges, Gary Uzonyi argues, is emphasizing the connection between peacekeeping and slowing the flow of refugees across borders.Finding Soldiers of Peace makes the case for this approach, which balances states' self-interests with the United Nations' goal of civilian protection.
Through an analysis of post-Cold War UN peacekeeping missions, particularly interventions in Mali and Sudan, Uzonyi shows how member states often tie civilian protection rhetoric to efforts to keep conflict-driven refugees from crossing into their territory. Conventional wisdom holds that member states primarily engage in peacekeeping for payment or humanitarian reasons. Uzonyi proves otherwise, helping scholars and practitioners more accurately predict which member states are most likely to send support, where states may send assistance, when they might become involved, the size of their contribution, and their timetable for leaving.
His research promotes practical strategies for the organization and execution of future missions that ensure member states stay invested in the outcome. A data-rich exploration of the UN response to humanitarian crises,Finding Soldiers of Peace shows how policymakers and practitioners can better strategize the execution of UN peacekeeping missions among diverse, and even contentious, stakeholders.
Backpacks full of hope Aldunate, Eduardo
Backpacks full of hope,
c2010, 2010, 2010-03-03, 2010-06-25
eBook
Backpacks Full of Hope: The UN Mission in Haiti describes the experience of a Chilean general as Deputy Force Commander of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) during the ...particularly turbulent year September 2005 to September 2006. It details the realities of commanding more than 7, 000 men from eleven countries while working to fulfill the mandate of the United Nations in Haiti—to ensure a secure and stable environment, to support the transitional government in a democratic political process, and to promote and protect the human rights of the Haitian people. Despite the enormous challenges of a complex scenario that included local violence and extreme poverty, the UN command succeeded in its mission, stabilizing the local situation and paving the way for Haiti to hold a presidential election. Originally published as Mision en Haiti, con la mochila cargada de esperanzas, this work provides a new audience with insight on the peace operation and sheds light on the long-term endeavour of civilians, military, and local and international agencies to support Haiti's path to prosperity. Co-published with the Centre for International Governance Innovation
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