Introduction

The use of force by UN Peace Support Operations has come to signify the line between life and death for increasing numbers of individuals. The narratives elaborate that what UN forces do and are required to do, have today become almost incomparable with the initial non-intrusive peacekeeping blueprint. These developments have resulted from numerous causes such as the changing nature of Conflict, the altered nature of the threats encountered by the UN and the improved capabilities of Organised Armed Groups that threaten peace. A number of studies have considered the legal and moral aspects of UN peacekeeping. But none of these contain a focused attempt at putting these divergent elements together in a single analytical matrix that allows UN uses of force to be guided by the Objectives that underpin their deployment. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.