Does Peacekeeping Keep the Peace? Article Review Paper Example

In the article, Does Peacekeeping Keep the Peace? International Intervention And The Duration Of Peace After Civil War, the author provides a brief evaluation of the interventions put in place to ensure lasting peace in the aftermath of the civil war, which threatened to divide the union of the United States South, and North. In this assessment, the writer focuses on determining the relative ability of the belligerents to uphold lasting tranquility amongst them after the peacekeepers leave the war zone and when they are present. The author recognizes the fact that peacekeeping missions are unique to circumstances hence addresses the possibility of long lasting peace in cases that involve international peacekeeping personnel. The author attempts to confront some of the pertinent issues in international peacekeeping but with a particular focus on the post-American Civil War era. The article assesses the effectiveness of peacekeeping and furthers the discourse whether global interventions to stabilize the USA after civil war contributed to lasting tranquility.

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International peacekeeping has evolved from traditional forms of the cold war era to more robust and complicated ones in addressing the civil strife within different state boundaries. These new roles of the international community include enforcing peace through military interventions, monitoring, and administration of the various aspects such as reconciliation, resettlement, and reconstruction of livelihoods that are essential for the transition to a stable society. Though Page (2004) appreciates the contributions of other scholars in comparing specific cases and peacekeeping missions, he analyzes them for failing to offer extensively exemplary discussions on cases that solely involve the deployment of international peacekeepers. The author differentiates itself from the previous literature the predominantly delve into comparing the processes and effects of peacekeeping in different countries by providing a brief exploration about on whether peace is more likely to last in cases where are present than when they are absent.

The author analyses with the assertion of and Sambanis (2000) that multidimensional peacekeeping processes that involve extensive civilian involvement, economic reconstruction, reformation of institutions and changes in the electoral processes have critical imperatives for improving the general process of peacebuilding and its eventual success. Various case studies of organizations such as the United Nations, and other ad hoc groups that are involved in global peacekeeping can be used to determine the success of such in ensuring lasting peace. The author uses such institutions to assess the evidence that different types of peacekeeping such as observer missions, traditions peacekeeping, multidimensional peacekeeping and peace enforcement can ensure lasting peace. He defines these approaches of peacekeeping and looks at their various capacities in dealing with some of the devastating wars at both state and international levels.

The study draws from different sets of data drawn from cases in which the international community such as the case of Rwanda. It then uses various approaches to determine the significance of the relationship between different determinants of peace or war. Through tabulation, the article shows empirical evidence such as bivariate relationships between peacekeeping and resurgence. It compares the effectiveness of the United Nations missions and other alternative interventions in peacekeeping. Furthermore, it draws from both international and local wars such as the Second World War, the cold war, and the war in Rwanda to determine the possibility of success in international interventions in resolving conflicts. Based on the results of data analysis, the author contends that observer mission and multidimensional peacekeeping have a high probability of reducing the possibility of the recurrence of war. On the other hand, the author determines that the traditional peacekeeping and enforcement missions do not prevent resurgence.

The author identifies some of the significant factors that not only determine the occurrence of first war but also the probability of it repeatedly occurring even after peacekeeping interventions have been made. Wars that end in a stalemate or compromised settlement of dispute of the opponents become more compelling circumstances that predispose a community to repeated conflicts l. In essence, Page asserts that indecisive military outcomes in war situations increase the chances that the belligerents would resume war to settle the unfinished contention. The author argues that Wars that end without an amicable resolution makes each side to have a feeling that they can win the second round of the fight. The author uses the evidence from the civil war peacekeeping to point out the fact that more decisive military victories and amicable resolution of disputes results in satisfaction of all the parties involved thus reduces the possibility of repeated aggressions.

The author concludes that the presence of international peacekeeping personnel in a war-ridden country is a not a necessarily guarantee of eventual peace that lasts over an extended period. Nonetheless, such interventions tend to increase the chances of lasting peace. Furthermore, the author states that the causes of a conflict, the peacekeeping process, and its outcomes largely determine the likelihood of repeated attacks or permanent peace. Despite these apparent loopholes that may make peacekeeping look ineffective, Page asserts that it an important tool for the international community to help war-torn states avoid a slide back to civil unrest.

Bibliographies

Bellamy, Alex J., Paul D. Williams, and Stuart Griffin. Understanding Peacekeeping. Polity, 2010.

Fortna, Virginia Page. "Does Peacekeeping Keep Peace? International Intervention And The Duration Of Peace After Civil War." International Studies Quarterly 48, no. 2 (2004): 269-292.

Fortna, Virginia Page. Does peacekeeping work? Shaping Belligerents' Choices After The Civil War. Princeton University Press, 2008.

Howard, Lise Morje. UN peacekeeping in civil wars. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.

Pugh, Michael. "Peacekeeping and critical theory." International Peacekeeping 11, no. 1 (2004): 39-58.