F1IS 4620 - From Peacekeeping to Peacebuilding

This course is a 12 week seminar based on a theoretical analysis of some of the most important issues in UN peace operations and on case studies.  The objective of the course is to examine the problems and possibilities of peace operations conducted by the United Nations. Throughout the Cold War, the United Nations undertook a small number of Traditional Peacekeeping Missions (PK) that helped to bring peace and security to some war torn regions. Most of those missions were small and basically uncontroversial (except Congo). No ambitious operations could be undertaken politically because Cold War antagonisms prevented the Security Council from approving ambitious interventions — the Security Council was politically deadlocked by the possibility of the use of the veto by one of its five permanent members. In the early 1990’s, just after the Cold War ended, there was a huge growth in the number of peacekeeping missions undertaken by the UN.  Most of new post-Cold War missions were much more ambitious than traditional peacekeeping missions - often called “Second-Generation Peacekeeping.” These missions included aggressive humanitarian intervention, democracy building and peacemaking among other goals. These interventions – also called Peacebuilding Operations - were sometimes deemed “successful” as in Cambodia or Sierra Leone or “failures” at other times as in Somalia. Since 2014, the UN stopped mounting ambitious peacebuilding or stabilization operations. Global geopolitics, with a more assertive China and Russia, impacted UN’s involvement in peace operations. One may ask if the UN will have to “go back to basic” permanently or if it is just a pause. Students should be warned from the beginning that the epistemological approach adopted by the professor is “problem-solving” or “mainstream” rather than “critical”. The class is based on an “empirical” approach, not a “normative” one. It focuses on what is politically feasible, with what is possible… not on how things “should be”. The goal is thus to link the study of UNPK with the realities of modern politics. The perspective adopted by the instructor is what Max Weber was calling “the ethic of responsibility” rather than the “the ethic of conviction” even though the two are not mutually exclusive. That’s why terms like “must” and “should” tend to be avoided as well as moral indignation. In other words, the theories used to examine UNPK are mostly Realism (Classical, Structural), Liberalism and Constructivism. Those looking for a post-structural/critical analysis will be disappointed. The class aims at criticizing but not rejecting UNPK. The goal is rather to try to look at possible solutions to fix the political and strategic problems surrounding this military-diplomatic tool “invented” between 1945 and 1956. The course aims at presenting the United Nations and its role in the maintenance of peace and international security. It is designed to provide a general knowledge about peace operations. Students should leave this course not only better informed about peace operations, but also better able to read critically, to think systematically, to analyze problems, to collect and evaluate information efficiently, organize ideas systematically, and apply knowledge from one area to new issues. The teaching method is based on a kind of teamwork between the teams that are doing the oral presentations and the professor. The teams start with their presentations followed by the intervention of the professor. Interactivity is the defining word for this class.

Learning Outcomes:

An ability to identify and discuss the key concepts associated with United Nations peace operations;

A capacity to evaluate the strengths but also the limits of these operations;

To critically evaluate not only UN peace operations but the literature on them;

Evaluate alternative policies and strategies;

Justify these alternatives.

Professional Skills:

The ultimate aim of this course is to help students practice the skills that are critical to success in public service as well as the private sector—deep intellectual knowledge of the core issues of our time; analytical thinking and effective writing skills. Students are also expected to engage the readings fully and actively participate in seminar discussions and debates in the limits of the format of an online lecture.

At the end of the semester students should:

be familiar with UN peacekeeping operations, their ambitions, achievements and limitations;

have substantive knowledge of the cases covered by the course;

have developed a critical approach to current debates and issues regarding UNPK; and

have developed transferable skills, including critical evaluation, analytical investigation, written presentation and communication.

A basic knowledge of the history and theories of international relations.

As soon as I can after grading their papers.

• An Oral Presentation (40% of the grade). Each week, two or three students will be assigned a UN peacekeeping operation to investigate.
• Final Take-Home Exam (50% of the grade) during the last week of the session (between 1,800 and 2,000 Words). No electronic devices authorized only printed materiel.
• Class Participation & Discussion (10% of the grade). The class participation grade will derive from regular attendance and everyday discussion and analysis.

In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester

Reading and Preparation for Class: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester

Research and Preparation for Group Work: ? hours a week / 24 hours a semester

Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester