The Morality of Peacekeeping

by Daniel H. Levine

Overview

Peacekeeping, peace enforcement and ‘stability operations’ ask soldiers to use violence to create peace, defeat armed threats while having no enemies and uphold human rights without taking sides. The challenges that face peacekeepers cannot be easily reduced to traditional just war principles. Built on insights from care ethics, case studies including Darfur, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti and Liberia and scores of interviews with peacekeepers, trainers and planners in the field in Africa, India and more, Daniel H. Levine sheds light on the challenges of peacekeeping. And he asserts that the traditional ‘holy trinity’ of peacekeeping principles – consent, impartiality, and minimum use of force – still provide the best moral guide for peacekeepers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780748675890
Publisher:	Edinburgh University Press
Publication date:	12/11/2013
Series:	Studies in Global Justice and Human Rights
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Daniel H Levine is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, and a Research Fellow with the Center for International Security Studies at Maryland.

Table of Contents

Preface; Part I: General Considerations; 1. Introduction; 2. A Normative Framework for Peacekeeping; Part II: The Holy Trinity; 3. Consent; 4. Impartiality; 5. Minimum Use of Force (A): Resort to Force; 6. Minimum Use of Force (B): Peacekeeper Violence; Part III: Protecting Civilians; 7. Protection and Vulnerability; 8. Protection of Civilians from Non-Enemies: A Case Study of MONUC Support to Kimia II in the DRC; 9. Protecting With Civilians; 10. Conclusion; Part IV: Appendices; A. List of Acronyms; B. Interviews; Bibliography; Index.

What People are Saying About This

Jakkie Cilliers

This book reads, in part, as a ‘conversation with self’, deeply reflective, clear and helpful as Daniel Levine grapples with and explains the moral nature of peacekeeping. Hugely illustrative and rich.

The Stimson Center William Durch

Far and away the finest and clearest analysis of the ethical dimensions of this important peacebuilding tool written to date. Levine dives into long-standing issues of consent, impartiality, use of force, and civilian protection and comes up with novel insights and arguments of enormous appeal, logic, and practicality, while ensuring throughout a good theoretical grounding. I believe this book will prove a landmark in this field, an essential go-to for scholars and practitioners alike.

Editorial Reviews

Far and away the finest and clearest analysis of the ethical dimensions of this important peacebuilding tool written to date. Levine dives into long-standing issues of consent, impartiality, use of force, and civilian protection and comes up with novel insights and arguments of enormous appeal, logic, and practicality, while ensuring throughout a good theoretical grounding. I believe this book will prove a landmark in this field, an essential go-to for scholars and practitioners alike.

The Stimson Center William Durch

This book reads, in part, as a ‘conversation with self’, deeply reflective, clear and helpful as Daniel Levine grapples with and explains the moral nature of peacekeeping. Hugely illustrative and rich.

Jakkie Cilliers