1. Europe’s Return to UN Peacekeeping in Africa? Lessons from Mali
- Author:
- John Karlsrud and Adam C. Smith
- Publication Date:
- 07-2015
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute
- Abstract:
- In a break from recent tradition, European member states are currently contributing significant military capabilities to a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operation in Africa. Europeans are providing more than 1,000 troops to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) by staffing a wide range of operations including an intelligence fusion cell, transport and attack aircraft, and special forces. Yet for European troop-contributing countries (TCCs) that have spent several years working in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations in Afghanistan, participating in a UN mission has been a process of learning and adaptation. For the UN, the contributions of key capabilities by European countries have pushed the UN system to adjust to the higher expectations of the new European TCCs, which has proved difficult in Mali’s complicated operating environment and political situation.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Regional Cooperation, International Security, and Peacekeeping
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Mali