The Ralph Bunche Centennial: Peace Operations Then and Now

A century after the birth of a father of peacekeeping, Ralph Bunche, UN peace operations have changed dramatically. The narrowly defined, lightly armed, strictly neutral operations of Bunche's day have become complex, multidisciplinary state-building operations. Then, peace-keeping buttressed e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Global governance 2005-07, Vol.11 (3), p.331-350
Main Authors: Cockayne, James, Malone, David M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Bunche, Ralph
Cold War
Cold wars
Conflicts
Councils
Diplomatic negotiations in international disputes
Globalization
Human rights
International cooperation
International Relations
Military operations
Nobel prizes
Pacific settlement of international disputes
Peace
Peace keeping
Peace keeping forces
Peace negotiations
Peaceful Coexistence
Peacekeeping
Political Change
Political History
Politics
Post-Cold War
Regional security
Sovereignty
State building
Terrorism
Truces & cease fires
U.S.A
United Nations
War conflict
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Summary:A century after the birth of a father of peacekeeping, Ralph Bunche, UN peace operations have changed dramatically. The narrowly defined, lightly armed, strictly neutral operations of Bunche's day have become complex, multidisciplinary state-building operations. Then, peace-keeping buttressed essentially self-enforcing cease-fires; now, it aims to build the foundations of a self-renewing peace. These changes reflect six deeper shifts: the end of the Cold War; engagement with "internal" conflicts; rising regional organizations; North-South politics; the U.S.-UN relationship; and changes in peace operation mandates. These shifts create three future challenges: state building; the reconception of sovereignty; and the need for realism. The December 2004 High-Level Panel report proposes modest steps toward meeting those challenges, but the burden of realizing the proposed framework rests squarely with UN member states.
ISSN:1075-2846
1942-6720
DOI:10.1163/19426720-01103005