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Peace Operations, Principles, and Doctrine

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The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Peace and Conflict Studies

Definition

Peace operations are a central conflict management tool of the post-World War II international order. They are generally defined by their multilateral character and association with the “holy trinity” of peacekeeping principles: impartiality, consent, and the non-use of force except in self-defense. These core elements of peacekeeping doctrine were conceived during the Cold War when lightly armed missions were the norm and when peacekeepers were usually tasked with observing cease-fires and monitoring the implementation of interstate peace agreements. Since the end of the Cold War, peacekeeping more commonly occurs within conflict-affected states and alongside activities like peacebuilding, peacemaking, and peace enforcement. Many scholars and practitioners use the term “peace operations” to describe the complex, multidimensional missions where these activities overlap. The expansive goals of multidimensional peace operations have given rise to tensions around doctrine and...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA

    Emily Paddon Rhoads

  2. Centre for International Policy Studies, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Marion Laurence

  3. Department of Political Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Marion Laurence

Authors
  1. Emily Paddon Rhoads
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  2. Marion Laurence
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emily Paddon Rhoads .

Section Editor information

  1. No affiliation provided

    Kai Michael Kenkel

  2. No affiliation provided

    Oliver Richmond

  3. No affiliation provided

    Gëzim Visoka

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Rhoads, E.P., Laurence, M. (2020). Peace Operations, Principles, and Doctrine. In: The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Peace and Conflict Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11795-5_20-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11795-5_20-1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-11795-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-11795-5

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