1. Why are some United Nations peacekeeping operations more successful than others?
Emiliya Mailyan PS 1010-H01
Conclusions
Hypothesis 1 may be rejected. Rwanda experienced failure even thought the peacekeeping rules were followed.
In this situation, perhaps the original theory was wrong in that the peacekeeping rules do not always have to be followed completely. With Rwanda, for example, more use of force could have been what the operation needed for success.
Hypothesis 2 may be rejected. Cambodia and Bosnia rated relatively difficult on the situational scale, but Cambodia experienced success and Bosnia experienced failure. In the same manner, Rwanda was rated to be an easier conflict to solve than Cambodia, but the operation was not successful.
With situational difficulty, one can see that scores do not directly correlate with outcomes. Instead, the certain characteristics within situational difficulty may be necessary in successful peacekeeping.
Hypothesis 3 may be rejected. When comparing the level of interest and cooperation put into each conflict, Bosnia ranked very high. Yet, the operation there was not as successful, unlike El Salvador, where a moderate ranking led to a successful operation.
When considering cooperation and interest, it seems that the interest and cooperation of the afflicted countries, not just outside actors, can be overlooked.
Hypothesis 4 may be accepted. Here a direct pattern is developed between the addressing of conflict causes and success in a peacekeeping operation.
At any rate, it is important to remember that while variables are capable of showing causation, every situation differs due to multiple underlying factors.
Introduction
The most often used method for stopping conflicts such as civil wars and genocides is peacekeeping by the United Nations. But these operations don’t always work completely.
In fact, they prove to sometimes be great failures.
But what can we consider to be a success? According to the UN, a success in peacekeeping is defined as an operation where basic security guarantees and response to crises were provided, as well as support for political transitions and fragile new state institutions. The UN lists operations in countries such as Cambodia and El Salvador to have been successful in ending conflict and promoting normal development, even if major peacebuilding challenges remain.
However, there have been instances of failure (where the above criteria weren’t met), and the UN considers the operations in Rwanda and Bosnia among them.
To determine the chance of success, I have examined research on the effects of four factors on four countries, and I have produced the following causal model with hypotheses:
Copyright Colin Purrington (
Results
Hypothesis 1: If the peacekeeping rules of limited force, impartiality, and consent are followed to the highest degree, then the UN operation will increasingly result in a success.
Hypothesis 2: If the situational difficulty of a conflict (civil war and genocide in these cases) is lower, then the UN operation will increasingly result in a success.
Hypothesis 3: If the Security Council members offer more attention towards the mandates, call for cooperation from more countries than the ones involved, and in general offers support, then the UN operation will increasingly result in a success.
Hypothesis 4: If the causes of conflict are sought to be understood and better addressed by all those involved, then the UN operation will increasingly result in a success.
Materials and methods
For this project, I used the comparative method of research to gather qualitative information from literatures on this topic to study causation, and I included the method of difference to construct my cases. With the Most Different Systems Design, I found four different independent variables for one common dependent variable for each of the four cases.
Further information
More information on each of the countries, conflicts, and operations may be found at the source for the organization itself, on un.org.
Acknowledgments
Images for the country maps and background of this poster were found on Google Images.
Visual aids
Literature cited
Howard, Lise M. UN Peackeeping in Civil Wars. New York: Cambridge UP, Print.
Boulden, Jane. Peace Enforcement: The United Nations Experience in Congo, Somalia, and Bosnia. N.p.: Greenwood Group, Print.
"Reliable Security Information." GlobalSecurity.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov <
"Success in Peacekeeping." United Nations Peacekeeping. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov <
Doyle, Michael W., Ian Johnstone, and Robert C. Orr, eds. Keeping the Peace: Multidimensional UN Operations in Cambodia and El Salvador. N.p.: Cambridge UP, Print.
 Van der Lijn, J. “If Only There Were a Blueprint! Factors for Success and Failure of UN Peace-Building Operations.” Netherlands Institute of International Relations: Clingendael. 
Druckman, Daniel, Paul C. Stern, Paul Diehl, A. B. Fetherston, Robert Johansen, William Durch, and Steven Ratner. "Evaluating Peacekeeping Missions." Mershon International Studies Review 41.1 (1997): Web. 3 Nov