The New UN peacekeeping1995

As the United Nations passes its fiftieth anniversary, it has undergone a sea change in its approach toward peacekeeping. Originally a stopgap measure to preserve a cease-fire, peacekeeping since the waning of the Cold War has become a means to implement agreed political solutions to conflicts between antagonists. Placed inside war-torn states, UN peacekeepers have encountered new challenges as they oversee elections, protect human rights, and reconstruct governmental institutions.

In this study, Steven R. Ratner offers a comprehensive framework for scholars, policymakers, and all those seeking to understand this new peacekeeping. He sees the UN as an administrator, mediator, and guarantor of political settlements - roles that can conflict when peace accords unravel, as is all too common....