Who's Keeping the Peace? Regionalization and Contemporary Peace Operations

Abstract

Alex Bellamy of the University of Queensland and Paul Williams of the University of Birmingham consider two questions regarding the proliferation of non–United Nations peace operations. Have these operations enhanced international peace and security? Or have they produced a multitiered, regionalized system that threatens to undermine the UN’s global mission? Basing their evaluation on three criteria—the legitimacy of these peace operations, their effectiveness in achieving their mandate, and their ability to contribute to regional peace and security—the authors conclude that none of these operations “fundamentally challenged the core elements of the UN system."