Peacekeeping - Nature of UN-style Peacekeeping

Nature of UN-style Peacekeeping

Among the community of nation-states constituting the United Nations, peacekeeping is conceived of more broadly as any activity that contributes to the furtherance of a peace process, once established. This includes, but is not limited to, the monitoring of withdrawal by combatants from a former conflict area, the supervision of elections, and the provision of reconstruction aid. Peacekeepers are often soldiers from the UN member nations, but they do not have to be. Similarly, while the UN's soldier-peacekeepers are sometimes armed, they are not obligated to engage in combat.

When the practice of UN peacekeeping began, peacekeepers were not expected ever to fight. As a general rule, they were deployed when ceasefire conditions were in place, and only after the parties to the conflict had given their consent. They observed 'on the ground' and attempted to report impartially on adherence to the ceasefire, troop withdrawals, or other elements of the peace agreement. This gave time and 'breathing space' for diplomatic efforts to address the underlying dynamics or conflicts.

Thus, a distinction must be drawn between peacekeeping and other operations aimed at peace. A common misconception is that activities such as NATO's intervention in the Kosovo War are peacekeeping operations, when they were, in reality, peace enforcement. That is, since NATO was seeking to impose peace, rather than maintain peace, they were not peacekeepers, rather peacemakers. However, many theorists, scholars, practitioners, etc., would disagree and say that true peace, as such, cannot be enforced, particularly with arms or violent acts.