Not enough attention has been paid to the correlation between the failure of peacekeeping operations and the actual source of civil wars. This text is an attempt to fill that gap. Hence the question: under which conditions is it possible for peacekeeping operations to replace the responsibility of the state concerning the security aspects of the social contract? The outset of the text, using the theories of Robert Nozick, is a theoretical approach towards the founding of states, described as the merging of entities. The theory serves a purpose since it, in combination with identity, illustrates in what manner the glue of society occurs and the rallying around other kind of loyalties like clans and ethnicities. The positive findings in the cases used in the text, confirmed by various authors, describes unequal economical, political and social possibilities as the underlying cause of the conflicts. Not excluding the possibilities of these factors being used for individual purposes.
Restoration of durable peace then depends on the eradication of this set of inequalities. It's a task well beyond the scope of traditional peacekeeping, since it requires peacebuilding efforts. Multidimensional peacekeeping would be an obvious choice, yet not without problems. With larger operations and vague social aims, a vague notion of the end state emerges. In addition, the social aim directly opposes the tactics chosen by the warring parties. Yet, as the examined cases shows, five out of seven failed operations have been traditional, that is failed in the sense of not being able to uphold the security aspects of the initial mandate.
The second aim of the text was to illustrate the fact that peacekeeping, to some degree, replaces the state and hence becomes entangled in the state's affairs which causes problems when the operation fails. The connection is rather vague since the actual human rights situations following failed operations are in some cases hard to confirm and in all cases hard to estimate. Based upon the findings in the text, peacekeeping in its concept are not a fu...
