The Expansion of UN Peacekeeping Operations and the Case of Lebanon

Abstract

With almost sixty years of experience, the United Nations peacekeeping operations have again been challenged, this time in Lebanon. These missions have evolved following three trends developed after the Cold War: the transformation of “first-generation” ortraditional missions into other broader and more complex ones; the growing impact of the North/South cleavage in them; and progressive regionalisation. However, the reinforced mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is an operation with a traditional legacy that has particularities.It is more robust; it is led, exceptionally, by European countries; and it faces numerous challenges. This article examines how, although the above-mentioned trends determine the directives of peacekeeping for the near future, the UNIFIL repeats the need to adopt a classical approach in Lebanon adapted to new realities. The author analyses how, despite not covering some elements on the international security agenda since the September 11th attacks, these operations are reconstituted at the beginning of the 21st century as an indispensableelement in international relations increasingly in need of a social approach.

Keywords

• UN
• Lebanon
• peacekeeping operations