The United Nations and Peacekeeping, 1988–95

The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a major shift in the United Nations' position in the world. Having been side-lined for most of the Cold War years, the organisation suddenly returned to the international centre stage. Large, multidimensional peacekeeping operations were a catalyst in this process.

The United Nations and peacekeeping, 1988-95 explores the change in the UN's role through an analysis of the evolving theory and practice of peacekeeping operations from 1988 to 1995. It uses General Assembly, Security Council and UN Secretariat documents on Cambodia, the former Yugoslavia and Somalia to evaluate the realignment of member states as they work on different issues in peacekeeping, including democratisation, humanitarian aid, the resettlement of refugees, the demobilisation of armed forces, economic development and the advancement of good government. Each chapter provides alternative perspectives on the motivation, execution and outcome of UN operations - exposing the political tensions of peacekeeping in a post-Cold War world, where international conflict resolution often clashes with the pursuit of national self-interest.

This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of international relations, conflict resolution, peacekeeping and the United Nations itself.

The United Nations and peacekeeping, 1988-95 presents innovative explanations on how after the Cold War UN peacekeeping operations became the dominant response to conflicts around the globe.

This study offers a vivid description of these changes through the analysis of the evolution in the concept and practice of United Nations peacekeeping operations from 1988 to 1995. The research is anchored primarily in United Nations documents, which were produced following the diplomatic discussions that took place in the General Assembly, the Security Council and the UN Secretariat on the subject of peacekeeping in general and in the cases of Cambodia, Former Yugoslavia and Somalia in particular. These large and complex operations were the testing ground for the new roles of peacekeeping in democratisation, humanitarian aid, resettlement of refugees, demobilisation of armed forces, economic development and advancement of good government.