Goulding: The Evolution of United Nations Peacekeeping

Tags: un and global governance lecture 2, papers

Questions

• what if we created a reserve fund for peacekeepers instead of a reserve troop list?
• how does the six types goulding identifies prevent the reemergence of a state?

Summary

1990’s article that talks about how peacekeeping has evolved

• originally peacekeeping was loosely derived from post-WW1 siutations

• remarks that legitimacy is the UN’s key identifer

• notes how unifil became a quasi-permanent force due to its ineffectiveness

• identifies 5 principals of peacekeeping

  • must be seen as UN lead and controlled -> concerns over legitimacy
  • must require the consent of all parties -> peacekeeping missions do not work without consent
  • peacekeepers must be impartial
  • troops are provided on a voluntary basis
  • use of force is kept to minimal

• also identifies 6 types of peacekeeping operations

  1. preventative deployment - one party requests, troops act as early warning
     • being tried in macedonia
  2. traditional peacekeeping - monitoring ceasefires, buffer zones, etc
  3. operations to help implement a comphrenesive settlement
     • namibia
  4. humanitarian corridors
     • somalia, bosnia
  5. UN replacing a collapsed state
     • democratic republic of the congo (DRC) in the 60’s
  6. ceasefire enforcement - similar to 2, but with force
     • vance-owen plan for bosnia
     • somalia

• goulding points out that funding is always a problem

• goulding argues for a more codified rules of usage of force

• greatest tool of the UN is credibility and legitimacy, thus the sec gen cannot deploy force to all places, but also must not appear overty cautious