The United Nations, international peacekeeping and the question of 'impartiality

Revisiting the Congo operation of 1960

Bibliographic Data

ID4253191
AuthorsDavid N Gibbs, David Ν Gibbs (0000-0002-6596-8536, University of Arizona, corresponding author)
Year2000
Volume38
Issue3
Pages359-382
Publication date2000-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Modern African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-278X • E-ISSN: 1469-7777
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0022278x00003384
OpenAlexW2092436727
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited7

This paper analyses peacekeeping impartiality, i.e. the extent to which peacekeepers act in the interests of international peace and security, rather than the interests of specific states or other external actors. It reevaluates the question of impartiality through an analysis of the Congo operation of July-September 1960. This case study was selected because it was by far the most important instance of peacekeeping during the Cold War. Based upon primary source materials from US, British, and UN archives, as well as memoirs and secondary sources, it finds that the Congo peacekeeping force intervened to a considerable extent in the internal politics of the Congo; in doing so, the peacekeepers collaborated with US policymakers and, to some extent, advanced their strategic objectives. A comparison between the Congo operation and recent cases of peacekeeping in post-Cold War Africa indicates that impartiality is likely to remain an elusive goal

Impartiality · Peacekeeping · Political science · Politics · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Law · Peacebuilding and International Security · Public Administration

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