Rhetoric versus reality in the rise of policing in UN peace operations: 'More blue, less green'?. Issue 6 (2nd November 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hunt, Charles T.
• Is Part Of: Australian journal of international affairs. Volume 73:Issue 6(2019)
• Page Start: 609
• Page End: 627
• Publication Date: 2019-11-02
• Subjects: International policing -- United Nations -- peace operations -- peacekeeping -- UNPOL; Australia -- Foreign relations -- Periodicals; East Asia -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; 327
• DOI: 10.1080/10357718.2019.1685936
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1035-7718

Abstract

ABSTRACT: United Nations police (UNPOL) have become increasingly important to operational effectiveness of peace operations. For some time, their contribution to re-establishing the rule of law in conflict-affected states has been seen as a cornerstone for building sustainable peace and enabling mission exit strategies. In a departure from traditional peacekeeping and post-conflict assistance, recent years have seen UN peace operations directed to stabilise countries and protect civilians in the context of on-going violent conflict. As a result, UNPOL have had to undertake a range of expanded tasks, exacerbating long-standing challenges and producing new impediments to their operational effectiveness. At the same time, a 'pragmatic turn' is generating increased interest in more police-centric concepts of peacekeeping as a possible alternative to today's expensive and military-focused peace operations. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in multiple peace operations and at UN headquarters, this article examines the changing roles of UNPOL in a new breed of UN peace operations, identifies the major associated challenges and proposes a series of recommendations for overcoming them. It argues that if police are to respond to unfolding challenges while becoming more central to peacekeeping outcomes, then significant reforms and further research into their impacts will be required.