Peacekeeping works, or does it?

Abstract

There is a renewed scholarly interest in peacekeeping with quantitative, systematic empirical studies figuring prominently. Arguably, this recent work has gone some way to address two puzzles that have consistently surrounded debates on peacekeeping. The first puzzle is that reporting on peacekeeping and public opinion tend to be critical. Regardless, peacekeeping has become an important element of efforts by the international community to resolve conflict. The second puzzle of peacekeeping is the contrast between quantitative, comparative studies and case studies in their assessment of the effectiveness of peacekeeping. This survey shows that recent research provides general evidence supporting the importance of peacekeeping, but some serious concerns remain.