Burak Giray
Hertie School
Title: ” Troop-providers’ ideational commitment to UN peacekeeping and effectiveness”
Date: Monday, December 4th, 12.30
Place: A-130
*GE-250/1 points will be given.
Abstract: Countries contribute to United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations for a variety of reasons. That diversion of interest affects how the operations’ mandates are fulfilled. While some troop-providers align with the principles of UN peacekeeping, others act in favor of their private benefits. Drawing on the conflict-of-interest theory, I posit that divergent interests within peacekeeping operations reduce the commitment of troop-providers to the principles of UN peacekeeping; therefore, the functionality of UN peacekeeping missions is damaged. This article explores the effect of troop-providers’ ideational commitment to UN peacekeeping on reducing the length of conflicts and civilian victimization by the combatants in all terminated and ongoing peacekeeping operations from November 1990 to December 2019. The results show that an increase in troop-providers’ ideational commitment to UN peacekeeping reduces both the length of conflicts and civilian victimization. The article makes three contributions. First, it elaborates on the consequences of how peacekeeping operations are composed, bringing in the primary motivations of troop-providers. Second, it develops a new measure of troop-providers’ ideational commitment to UN peacekeeping, taking into account their human rights stance in the UNGA. Third, the study suggests that troop-providers’ commitment to the principles of UN peacekeeping becomes more pivotal in large deployments.
Short Bio: Burak Giray is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for International Security at Hertie School. He was awarded the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)’s 2023/24 Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience (PRIME) Fellowship, which now supports his year-long research stay at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Houston. His primary research interests revolve around various aspects of UN interventions in conflicts, encompassing supply-side dynamics, effectiveness, and the legitimacy of UN peacekeeping operations. He has published on these topics in the Journal of International Peacekeeping, Political Research Quarterly, Journal of International Interactions, and Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy.