1st Edition

The Use of Force in UN Peacekeeping

Edited By Peter Nadin Copyright 2018
    340 Pages
    by Routledge

    340 Pages
    by Routledge

    This edited volume provides a detailed and nuanced analysis of UN peacekeeping and the use of force, to inform a better understanding of the complex and interconnected issues at stake for the UN community. Peacekeeping is traditionally viewed as a largely passive military activity, governed by the principles of impartiality, consent, and the minimum use of force. Today, most large UN Peacekeeping Operations are only authorized to use force in defence of their mandates and to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence.



    Recently, with the deployment of the Force Intervention Brigade in the DRC, the UN has gone beyond peacekeeping and into the realm of peace-enforcement. These developments have brought to the fore questions regarding the use of force in the context of peacekeeping. The key questions addressed in this book examine not only the utility of force, but also the dilemmas and constraints inherent to the purposive use of force at a strategic, operational and tactical level.











    • Should UN peacekeepers exercise military initiative?


    • Is UN peacekeeping capable of undertaking offensive military operations?


    • If so, then under what circumstances should peacekeepers use force?


    • How should force be wielded? And against whom?


    With chapters written by experts in the field, this comprehensive volume will be of great use and interest to postgraduate students, academics and experts in international security, the UN, peacekeeping and diplomacy.



    Introduction, Part 1: Questions of Doctrine, 1. The case of East Timor: Ancient history or the shape of things to come? 2. Action adapted to circumstance: Peacekeeping doctrine and the use of force, 3. Between absolute war and absolute peacekeeping, 4. Implications of stabilisation mandates for the use of force in UN peace operations, 5. Understanding the utility of the UN military component to protect civilians in different scenarios, 6. Protecting civilians with force: Lessons and dilemmas from the UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti, 7. The ‘All necessary means’, to what ends? The unintended consequences of the use of force by UN Peacekeepers, 8. The logic of force in UN peacekeeping: A policy primer, Part 2: Questions of Practice, 9. Leadership in UN Missions, 10. The use of force and the civil-military dimension, 11. Generating the ability: The challenges of force generation, 12. UN peacekeeping and international law, Conclusion.







     

    Biography

    Peter Nadin is an independent researcher based in Sydney, Australia. He has worked previously as a research assistant at the United Nations University, and interned with the UNU Institute for Sustainability and Peace and the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations. His research interests include the politics of the UN Security Council and UN Peacekeeping Operations.