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IB DP Global Politics — Thematic study: Peace and conflict | SL | Nature, practice and study of peace and conflict
📋 What You Will Learn
- Define peacekeeping and distinguish it from related concepts such as peacemaking, peacebuilding and peace enforcement
- Describe the evolution of UN peacekeeping from traditional to multidimensional operations
- Explain the key principles that govern peacekeeping mandates and how they are contested in practice
- Analyse the roles of different actors — states, IGOs, regional organisations, NGOs — in peacekeeping operations
- Compare theoretical perspectives on the purposes and limitations of peacekeeping
- Evaluate the effectiveness of peacekeeping in protecting civilians and sustaining peace
🔍 Guiding Question Can peacekeeping operations genuinely protect civilians and build lasting peace, or do they primarily serve the strategic interests of powerful states while leaving the root causes of conflict unaddressed?
🌍 Why This Matters In 2023, the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) began withdrawing after more than two decades of deployment — despite ongoing violence by armed groups including M23. Local protests had turned against the mission, with demonstrators arguing it had failed to protect civilians. The episode raises a fundamental question: when peacekeeping operations remain for decades yet violence persists, what does "keeping the peace" actually mean?
🔑 Key Concept Link Peacekeeping sits at the intersection of all four key concepts. Sovereignty is at stake whenever external forces deploy on a state's territory. Legitimacy determines whether a mission is accepted by host populations and the international community. Power shapes who authorises, funds and staffs operations — and whose interests they serve. Interdependence explains why conflicts in one region draw in neighbouring states, regional organisations and global institutions. Return to these four concepts throughout your analysis.
What Is Peacekeeping?
The word "peacekeeping" is used loosely in public debate, but in global politics it has a specific meaning rooted in international law and UN practice. Understanding what it is — and what it is not — is essential before evaluating its effectiveness.
📖 Definition — Peacekeeping Peacekeeping refers to the deployment of international personnel — military, police and civilian — to a conflict-affected area, typically with the consent of the parties involved, to monitor ceasefires, protect civilians, support political processes and create conditions for sustainable peace. It is authorised by the UN Security Council under Chapter VI or Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
Peacekeeping is not a single, fixed activity. It has evolved dramatically since the first UN operation in 1948, and today's missions bear little resemblance to the lightly armed observer missions of the Cold War era. The term now covers a spectrum of activities, which is why distinguishing it from related concepts matters for exam analysis.
Distinguishing key terms
- Peacemaking: diplomatic efforts to bring hostile parties to a negotiated agreement — e.g. mediation, negotiation, good offices. Primarily political and non-military. Operates under Chapter VI of the UN Charter ("Pacific Settlement of Disputes").
- Peacekeeping: deployment of personnel to monitor and implement a peace agreement or ceasefire, typically with host-state consent. Traditionally Chapter VI; modern robust mandates invoke Chapter VII.
- Peace enforcement: coercive military action authorised by the Security Council to restore or maintain peace, without requiring the consent of the parties. Explicitly Chapter VII ("Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace"). Examples: NATO in Kosovo 1999, coalition in Libya 2011.
- Peacebuilding: long-term efforts to address the structural causes of conflict — institution-building, reconciliation, economic development,