Conflict Resolutions

Running Head : CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Conflict Resolution

[The Writer 's Name]

[The Name of the Institution] Conflict Resolution

Introduction

The evolution of United Nations (UN ) peacekeeping can be divided into at least three major time periods : the end of World War II and the formation of the United Nations until the mid-1980s , the mid-1980s until the end of the Cold War , and the post-Cold War period (Michael , 1990 It is important to note that the Charter of the United Nations identifies the organisation 's principal role as the maintenance of

international peace and security but does not contain any direct provisions for peacekeeping . Instead , peacekeeping emerged as a response to the Cold War hostility between the superpowers , and its principles and practices were established and defined as peacekeeping operations (PKOs Thomas G . Weiss and Jarat Chopra ) were mounted

UN Role in Global Conflicts

During the first time period , the conceptualisation of peacekeeping evolved and peacekeeping operations were generally non-coercive impartial , supported by the UN Security Council , accepted by the parties involved , and deployed after a cessation of hostilities had occurred to separate warring parties . The United Nations Operation in the Congo (UNOC ) in 1960 was an exception as its mandate evolved to include restoring the territorial integrity of the country after the province of Katanga declared its independence . A further element of these 'first-generation ' peacekeeping operations was the general exclusion of troops from the five permanent members based on the desire for an impartial , independent UN force without any 'special interest ' in the conflict . This practice was ignored , on occasion , as witnessed by France 's participation in UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon ) in 1978

Other countries , including Canada , Ireland , Austria , Holland , the Nordic countries , Fiji , and Nepal , however , considered participation in UN peacekeeping operations to be an important component of their foreign policy and provided troops on a regular basis . National motivations varied , from Canada 's desire to justify its military and distance itself from the United States to the Nordic countries ' efforts to increase their international influence and reduce the possibility of superpower confrontation to Fiji , where PKOs served as opportunities for both added income and military training of its forces ( Morton Bard and Joseph Zacker , 1996

By the mid-1980s , cooperation replaced confrontation , and stalemate in the UN Security Council began to wane . Supported by a growing consensus among the permanent members , the UN launched peacekeeping operations in various countries including Afghanistan , Namibia , Angola , and Nicaragua In Namibia , in particular , UN troops performed a variety of jobs outside the boundaries of traditional peacekeeping , making UNTAG (United Nations Transition Assistance Group ) the first of the second-generation PKOs During this 'transition ' period , the member states , including the permanent members of the Security Council , began to accord greater credence to the United Nations and its role in mediating conflicts

Post Cold War Scenario of Conflicts

The collapse of the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War had a dramatic impact on the United Nations and its peacekeeping operations . In this...