Which type of peace operation do you think has been the most effective throughout UN history and why?

 

To state that a single peace operation has been the most effective throughout UN history is decidedly problematic, rather different operations are most effective in different circumstances. To illustrate this point I will examine both traditional peacekeeping and peace support operations.



Traditional peacekeeping has proven to be effective in situations in which the ‘Holy Trinity’ is found. In missions such as UNSCOB (Greece 1947-51), traditional peacekeeping appeared to be effective. The circumstances of this mission adhered greatly to the consent, impartiality, and minimum use of force, of the ‘Holy Trinity’. UNSCOB. The political situation of Greece suited this traditional form of peacekeeping (Bellamy et al 2004:98). In these circumstances UNSCOB was able to claim clear consent and remaining impartial and using minimal use of force was a clearer decision. However success with traditional peacekeeping is not always the case. In missions such as UNMOGIP and UNTSO traditional peace keeping proved less effective. As Kofi Anan stated “the prerequisites of traditional peacekeeping will not exist in the majority of cases. If the UN has no other method at its disposal, it will become largely irrelevant” (Wilkinson 2000:63).



An alternative to traditional peacekeeping is peace support operations. In intra-state conflict the distinction of the ‘Holy Trinity’ becomes less pronounced and thus the mandate of the UN force unclear. In these circumstances peace support operations are multifaceted missions which allow for movement between traditional peacekeeping methods other methods without changing the essential mandates of the operation (Wilkinson 2000:66). An example of this is KFOR in Kosovo; this mission has undergone many changes shifting to include UNSC resolutions(NATO KFOR ) which would have required major adjustments to the mission if it was limited to traditional peacekeeping.



In conclusion, it is not clear whether there is a ‘most effective’ form of peacekeeping, rather it appears that the different forms of peace keeping are each most effective in different circumstances.