United Nations Peace Operations and International Relations Theory

Kseniya Oksamytna is a Senior Lecturer at City, University of LondonJohn Karlsrud is a Research Professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs

'This excellent book successfully engages the literature on UN peacekeeping with scholarship on international relations (IR) theory. Oksamytna (King’s College, London) and Karlsrud (Norwegian Institute of International Affairs) have arranged the contributions of nine scholars into a superb "one-stop shop" for readers who want an overview of how different theoretical perspectives address the issue of post–Cold War UN peacekeeping operations. Contributors examine the capabilities and limits of individual IR theories for explaining peacekeeping missions and their effectiveness. All seek to answer the same question: "Why does UN peacekeeping take the shape that it does,” applying a particular theory of IR to a case study from their own research. Together they highlight the shortcomings of the dominant realist theory and the important contribution of alternative theories (from constructivism and liberal institutionalism to practice theories, including critical security studies, feminist institutionalism, and complexity theory) to the understanding of phenomena (such as peacekeeping) that do not neatly fit the realist model.' CHOICE‘United Nations peace operations and International Relations theory manages to be both accessible and insightful in a way that makes this edited volume an invaluable resource for researchers and students alike. Bringing a range of theoretical perspectives to bear on UN peace operations including many excluded from more conventional analyses, the book ultimately stands as a testament to how novel theoretical engagement can provide genuine insight into the practical realities of peacekeeping.’Krisztina Csortea, Deputy Editor of International Affairs'This is a long overdue contribution that sits at the intersection of critical reflection and good old-fashioned scholarship. Composed of nine chapters that succinctly weave the evolution of UN peacekeeping missions together with major theories in International Relations (IR), this volume will serve as an important learning resource for young academics. Readers who remain uninspired after finishing this volume are likely to be few and far between.' International Affairs‘[United Nations peace operations and International Relations theory is] highly readable and does provide a very useful introduction to what different theoretical approaches might make of UN peacekeeping…[The volume] is an invaluable resource to scholars and students seeking to better understand the applicability of theory to practice.’B. K. Greener, Massey University

• United Nations peace operations and International Relations theory: An introduction– Kseniya Oksamytna and John Karlsrud 1 Realism – Philip Cunliffe 2 Liberal institutionalism – Carla Monteleone and Kseniya Oksamytna 3 Rational choice institutionalism – Yf Reykers 4 Sociological institutionalism – Sarah von Billerbeck 5 Constructivism – Marion Laurence and Emily Paddon Rhoads 6 Practice theories – Ingvild Bode 7 Critical security studies – Lucile Maertens 8 Feminist institutionalism – Georgina Holmes 9 Complexity theory – Charles T. Hunt Concluding refl ections: International Relations theory and the study of UN peace operations – Mats Berdal