South Asian Peacekeeping: Regional Possibilities

Abstract

South Asia contributes the largest contingent of peacekeepers to the United Nations, and yet remains a fragile region in terms of peace within its own borders. This article argues that, although the implications of South Asia’s engagement in global peacekeeping operations has been the subject of academic study, not enough attention has been paid to how South Asian expertise in peacekeeping can be harnessed as a resource for regional cooperation.

Keywords:

• Peacekeeping
• South Asia
• United Nations
• regional cooperation
• SAARC

Acknowledgement

The author is grateful for feedback received from Jayashree Vivekanandan and Maya Eichler on an earlier version of this article. Insights from her interactions with peacekeepers from the region at workshops (2012, 2015) on South Asian participation in UN peacekeeping, organised by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, have also been valuable.

Notes

1. As per statistics provided by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), of the total number of 105,314 military and police personnel deployed in UN peace operations as of 29 February 2016, South Asian contributions are as follows: India (ranked second)—7,695; Bangladesh (ranked third)—7,525; Pakistan (ranked fourth)—7,501; Nepal (ranked sixth)—5,323; Sri Lanka and Bhutan come lower down in the list, providing 501 and 26 uniformed personnel, respectively (UN DPKO, 2016). Ethiopia is the highest contributor in this list, which is a relatively new development as the position of top contributor has generally been held by Bangladesh, India or Pakistan in recent years.

2. It is important to note, however, that the UN itself has been severely criticised in light of reports (internal and external) and scholarly research that have revealed the involvement—direct and indirect—of its peacekeepers in illegal activities as well as sexual exploitation and abuse during their deployment (see, for instance, UN OIOS, 2007; Smith and Smith, 2010; Benn, 2016).