UN Robust Peacekeeping

This book examines the emergent conviction that UN robust peacekeeping works better than UN traditional peacekeeping in reducing civilian killings within contemporary post-cold war violent civil wars. In an unprecedented study, Nsia-Pepra has systematically and empirically documented the relationship between robust peacekeeping and civilian killings in violent civil wars using both statistical and case study models. His research, engagingly expounded upon in UN Robust Peacekeeping, indicates that robust peacekeeping works better than traditional peacekeeping in lowering civilian killings by spoilers in violent civil wars. His book also presents the concept of a formidable barrier model of robust peacekeeping success using the game theoretical model. It makes policy recommendations to enhance the UN's capacity to protect civilians from human rights violations, including a unified, coherent doctrinal definition for robust peacekeeping, an operational doctrine on the use of force, and improved UN intelligence capacity. Nsia-Pepra also suggests employing the GA 1950 Uniting for Peace Resolution as well as robust mandates, common training doctrine, pre-deployment training, improved UN intelligence capacity, major power participation, implementation of R2P and US objective global leadership.

"Although the topic of the changing nature of peacekeeping is not new, how this author examines and tests the effectiveness of differing mandates is a valuable contribution to the field. As peacekeeping mandates continue to evolve, I expect that this work will serve the policy-making community and students of international conflict for some time."

-Marie Olson Lounsbery, East Carolina University, USA

'It is not often that systematic evidence is brought to bear to test foreign policy premises, but Dr. Kofi Nsia Pepra has done a service to global governance by evaluating the trends and outcomes of "robust" international peacekeeping in comparisons to earlier forms. Pepra is uniquely suited to this task given his scholarly and military backgrounds and experience with African peacekeeping. His findings give us confidence that the UN and regional organizations are on the right track in formulating more assertive and active enforcement mechanisms. Indeed it appears that further steps are underway to bolster these missions and this important book substantiates those initiatives.'

-Frederic S. Pearson, Director, Center for Peace and Conflict Studies and Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University, USA

Assistant Professor of Political Science at Ohio Northern University