Peacekeeping

Peacekeeping is a set of activities designed to create conditions for lasting peace. These operations aim to reduce civilian and battlefield deaths. They also work to lower the risk of renewed warfare in areas recovering from conflict.

Within the United Nations (UN), peacekeepers monitor peace processes in post-conflict zones. They help former combatants meet the commitments made in peace agreements. This assistance includes building confidence between groups and supporting elections. It also involves strengthening the rule of law and helping with social or economic development. Because of their light blue headgear, these personnel are often called Blue Berets or Blue Helmets. They are not just soldiers, but also include police officers and civilian staff.

Peacekeeping missions are categorized by how they are authorized under international law. These authorizations are often linked to specific chapters of the UN Charter. Chapter VI missions are consent-based, meaning they require the permission of the fighting parties. If these parties withdraw their consent, the peacekeepers must also withdraw. In contrast, Chapter VII missions do not require consent to operate. If consent is lost during a Chapter VII mission, the peacekeepers are not required to leave. Under international law, peacekeepers are considered non-combatants. They must remain neutral in conflicts between belligerent parties and are protected from attacks.

There are four distinct types of peacekeeping operations. The first type is observation missions. These use small groups of military or civilian observers to monitor cease-fires or troop withdrawals. They are typically unarmed and only report what they see. They do not have the mandate to intervene if an agreement is broken. Examples include UNAVEM II in Angola in 1991 and MINURSO in the Western Sahara. The second type is interpositional missions, often called traditional peacekeeping. These involve larger, lightly armed troops that act as a buffer between fighting sides. They monitor compliance with ceasefire parameters, such as UNGUA in Guatemala in 1996.

The third type is multidimensional missions. These are more complex and involve both military and police personnel. They go beyond observing to help implement comprehensive settlements. These teams might supervise elections, reform security forces, or build new institutions. Examples include UNTAG in Namibia and ONUMOZ in Mozambique. The fourth type is peace enforcement. These are Chapter VII missions that do not require the consent of the belligerents. They use substantial military forces that are well-equipped. Unlike other missions, these forces are mandated to use force for reasons beyond self-defense. Examples include NATO operations in Bosnia and UNAMSIL in Sierra Leone.

The history of peacekeeping has shifted significantly over the decades. During the Cold War, peacekeeping was mostly interpositional and traditional. UN peacekeepers acted as buffers between states after conflicts. Many of these observers were unarmed, such as UNTSO in the Middle East. In 1992, following the Cold War, Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali published a report called "An Agenda for Peace." This report proposed a more nuanced, multi-faceted approach to international politics. It introduced concepts like preventative diplomacy, peace-making, and post-conflict reconstruction. This helped move the UN toward the multidimensional missions used today.

Modern peacekeeping involves many broader aims to ensure stability. Peace-making uses mediation and negotiation to help parties reach a settlement. Peace-keeping involves deploying lightly armed forces to build confidence and monitor agreements. Post-conflict reconstruction focuses on developing economic and social cooperation. This helps mend relations and builds infrastructure to prevent future violence.

Peacekeeping also includes protecting cultural property and heritage. In 2019, UNIFIL worked with Blue Shield International to protect UNESCO World Heritage sites in Lebanon. Protecting these assets is vital because cultural heritage is part of a people's identity. If culture is destroyed, people may feel uprooted and flee their homelands.

While the United Nations is a major player, it is not the only organization involved. Other groups implement peacekeeping missions under different mandates. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) conducted missions in Kosovo with UN authorization. The African Union (AU) works to build an African Peace and Security Architecture. This includes the African Standby Force, which was planned for 2015. The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) monitors the Sinai Peninsula following an agreement between Israel and Egypt in 1981.

There is also Unarmed Civilian Peacekeeping (UCP). These civilians use non-violent tactics like community security meetings and monitoring to protect people in conflict zones.