Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 05/2009

The Future of Peacekeeping Operations: Fighting Political Fatigue and Overstretch

Richard Gowan

April 2009

Center on International Cooperation

Abstract

Drawing from the insights of an international policy debate on peacekeeping overstretch co-organized by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Richard Gowan identifies major stresses of the UN and non-UN peacekeeping system. Analyzing the biggest UN (DR Congo) and NATO (Afghanistan) peace operations, he blames "risk transferral" and mistrust as key obstacles, driving political divergences and operational mismanagement. He proposes five policy options for greater transparency and trust, allowing better peacekeeping strategies, including a heads-of-government conference to foster strategic discussion.