ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the approach of the Russian Federation to United Nations (UN) peacekeeping based on various regional organizations as they functioned at the beginning of the 1990s. It provides three sections: the traditional Russian approach to peacekeeping and Russian participation in UN peacekeeping missions; Russian peacekeeping efforts within the framework of non-UN organizations, including the problem of unrecognized mandates; and the adjustment of Russian foreign policy to the realities of peacekeeping in the twenty-first century. The chapter argues that from the Russian perspective, international peacekeeping is increasingly moving beyond its traditional role as a tool for impartial resolution of conflicts that it is being used as a foreign policy tool of the great powers, and that it is in this context that we should view Russia's position that UN member-states must strengthen their commitment to finding compromise as a necessary condition for successful international peacekeeping.
