Peacekeeping, Disarmament, and the New Agenda for Peace

Abstract

This article examines briefly the changing nature of conflict from the end of the Cold War until the present “post-post Cold War” era. Against the backdrop of Secretary-General António Guterres’s forthcoming (June 2023) New Agenda for Peace in response to the changing nature of warfare, alongside waning demand for certain UN conflict management tools, the article offers concrete recommendations for advancing peacekeeping (a New Civilian Response Capability, investing in hybrid and partnership-oriented peacekeeping, and revisiting the idea of standing peacekeeping forces) and disarmament (enhanced Arms Trade Treaty transparency, aligning the interests of nuclear armed states and non–nuclear weapons states, and establishing global norms on the illegality of specific types of cyber behavior) through the world body. Reform proposals privilege the development of multilateral and local capacities for peace. The article concludes with some thoughts on the research agenda ahead for scholars and policy analysts dedicated to studying and pursuing peace through more effective approaches to global governance.