Essay On Peacekeeping

Peacekeeping operations can be defined as the imposition of an international presence in one form or another the objective of which is essentially to prevent violence from breaking up or to contain or curtail it where it has already broken out.
James A approaches the concept of peacekeeping in three dimensions vis;
a.”Patching up” which is non violent settlement ,which may not require using of armed forces.
b. “Prolytatic” approach which is the taking of action that is designed to prevent the situation from deteriorating and
c.”Proselytism” approach which is seeking to act as instrument of change in order to rid the international society of situations which the majority regard as better than sinful.Here,the operation is either conciliatory

But recently, with the changing nature of conflicts and the surge of intra-state confrontations, the functions of peacekeeping operations have become much more complex and comprehensive, encompassing conflict prevention, peacemaking, post conflict peace-building and assistance to the activities of international tribunals in bringing war criminals to justice.
“Peacekeeping” is a term that imparts virtually no information about what type of operation is taking place. An average person cannot readily imagine what the term peacekeeping connotes. Commonly, the term implies an operation short of armed conflict. However, in the real sense it does not necessarily mean that the operation excludes armed conflict, as many peacekeepers have discovered. For most it probably conjures up the image of soldiers in their instantly recognisable blue helmets. The blue helmet is an evocative symbol. Many authors, and the UN itself, have relied upon it to set the scene for books and articles about UN peacekeeping