Whither Peace Operations? A panel discussion of a new book from Georgetown University Press

Peace operations have undergone many changes since the first United Nations–administered peace mission in 1948. Peace operations today are more broadly accepted as a tool for contending with destabilizing events in all regions of the globe. Enhancing their effectiveness is now on the agenda of the United Nations, regional organizations, and many national government agencies. Against this backdrop, the Center of Peace and Security Studies (CPASS) of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, the Washington-based Fund for Peace, and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute teamed up in a joint project through a grant from the United States Institute of Peace to probe the limits of progress in the development and use of peace operations and to consider prospects for their future. The resulting Georgetown University publication provides a comprehensive review of regional efforts in peace operations, and develops an innovative analysis of national and regional motivations for participating in peace operations. The USIP Special Report “Whither Peace Operations?” highlights the findings from the book Peace Operations: Trends, Progress, and Prospects (2008) edited by Don C. F. Daniel, Patricia Taft, and Sharon Wiharta. The panel discussion will focus on the future of peace operations, including factors affecting global troop capacity for operations, and the limits of peace operations.