ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in its various configurations over the last two decades could have better implemented its mandate had it monitored and reported on economic crimes and corruption, just as it has with crimes of violence and human rights abuse. The authors argue that Congo’s political economy needs to be understood in the context of transnational regional economies and the global economy in general, and the UN mission could have done more to understand and address the economic and financial forces that shaped – and continue to shape – Congo’s politics and conflicts. In Congo, there is ample evidence that businesses linked to foreign governments, international corporations, offshore financial centres and global markets are complicit in perpetuating war economies. Improved monitoring by the UN could have helped curb the ways in which these economic forces and corruption contributed to conflict, undermined democracy, and led to human rights abuses.
