The evolution of the use of force in UN peacekeeping

The role of force in United Nations peacekeeping has changed dramatically since the first observer mission in 1948. Once, peacekeepers used force only in the most exceptional circumstances and only in self-defense. By the mid-1970s, peacekeepers were authorized to defend the mandates of their operations, still as a variant of ‘self-defense’ but with greater scope for offensive force. Since the turn of the century, corresponding with the ‘Brahimi Report’, the language of self-defense is no longer in use in peacekeeping mandates. Instead, the Security Council routinely finds the existence of threats to international peace and security and vest ‘robust’ peacekeeping operations with the ability to use offensive force. The role of the controversial ‘responsibility to protect’ doctrine in peacekeeping is examined; however, it is concluded that, as yet, the doctrine has had limited impact on the legal framework relating to peacekeeping