ABSTRACT
Peacekeeping by the United Nations has developed significantly through the creation of new norms and customs over time. The contributions of norm entrepreneurs and major influences from both realist and liberal forces can be identified throughout the history of peacekeeping. This chapter applies simple normative concepts and models to understand how peacekeeping has evolved through “four types” or “four generations:” (1) unarmed observer missions starting in the late 1940s; (2) armed peacekeeping forces interposed between parties starting in 1956; (3) multidimensional peacekeeping operations (PKOs) that came of age at the end of the Cold War; and (4) transitional administrations taking on temporary governance over territories at the turn of the century. This chapter finds that peacekeeping norms are most accelerated when they satisfy both liberal and realist goals. The combination of norm analysis and the four-types model leads not only to a better understanding of PKOs but also a better view of the evolution of international organizations (IOs) more generally.
