This document discusses how different levels of governance and culture within peacekeeping missions can impact their success or failure. It identifies three levels - individual, agency/organizational, and global. At the individual level, issues like racism and language barriers can cause problems. At the agency level, differences between military and civilian cultures, like conflicting goals, are particularly challenging. Finally, at the global level, concerns about violating international norms may inhibit effectiveness. These various cultural factors can have negative effects like sexual abuse, human trafficking, and damage the credibility of the mission. Understanding the interactions between these levels of culture is important for analyzing why peacekeeping operations sometimes fail or are inefficient.

1. CULTURE &
CONTEMPORARY
PEACEKEEPING
LEVELS OF GOVERNANCE AND THEIR IMPACT ON
PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS

2. Why do
peacekeeping
missions fail?

3. What is the impact of
culture on
peacekeeping
missions?

4. OVERVIEW
• Three levels of governance that have
distinct cultures
• These systems of culture are made up of
frameworks, norms, values, practices, and
interactions which directly and indirectly
influence peacekeeping missions (and
their subsequent success or failure).

5. WHAT ARE THE ISSUES?
• Abuse of power by interveners
• Inefficiency of peacekeeping missions
• Cultural clashes during peacekeeping missions
• Failure of peacekeeping operations

6. INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
• “Expatriate bubble”, coined by Autesserre (2014)
• Frameworks of racism, cultures of masculine privilege, ethnic
boundaries, language barriers

7. AGENCY/ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURE
• Coined by Tamara Duffey in her article Cultural issues in
contemporary peacekeeping.
• Organizational frameworks within peacekeeping agencies
• Largest and most significant divide is the military/civilian
dichotomy (Autesserre & Duffey)

8. MILITARY/CIVILIAN
DICHOTOMY
• Conflicting organizational frameworks
• Conflicting goals
• Largest and most significant divide among interveners
(Autesserre, 2014; Duffey, 2000)

9. GLOBAL CULTURE
• Discussed by Roland Paris in his article in the European
Journal of International Relations
• Refer to international norms and levels of propriety that may
inhibit effective peacekeeping
• Fear of violating these norms can prevent operational
effectiveness

10. IMPACTS ON PEACEKEEPING
OPERATIONS
• SEXUAL ABUSE & EXPLOITATION (SEA)
• HUMAN TRAFFICKING
• FRAUD
• ROBBERY
• DRUG DISTRIBUTION
• ASSAULT
• RAPE
• MURDER

11. IMPACTS ON PEACEKEEPING
OPERATIONS
• DAMAGES CREDIBILITY & DELEGITIMIZES THE MISSION
• - lack of trust in peacekeepers (Congo & sexual torture:
Autesserre)
• - creates organized crime, contributing to unstable civil society
• Peacekeepers have created and contributed to the demand for
sexual services in the areas in which they’ve been deployed.
(Kenneth J. Allard, 2009).

12. CONCLUSION
• The research on many aspects of culture would benefit from
expansion; particularly in regards to race and gender within
interveners on the ground
• Interactions between levels is severely underestimated as
major cause of peacekeeping failure/inefficiency
• Noted by many authors (Duffey, Autesserre, Lutz et. Al., etc.)

13. BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Allad, Keith J. (2009) Strategies Against Human Trafficking: The Role
of the Security Sector. National Defense Academy. 299-328.
• Autesserre, Séverine (2014) Peaceland. Cambridge University Press.
• Brown, Keith; Gutmann, Matthew; Lutz, Catherine (2009) Conduct
and Discipline in UN Peacekeeping Operations: Culture, Political
Economy, and Gender, Brown University. Report submitted to the
Conduct and Discipline Unit, Department of Peacekeeping
Operations, United Nations. October 19, 2009.
• Duffey, Tamara (2000) Cultural issues in contemporary peacekeeping,
International Peacekeeping, 7:1, 142-168

14. BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Ladley, Andrew (2005) Peacekeeper Abuse, Immunity, and Impunity:
the Need for Effective Criminal and Civil Accountability of
International Peace Operations, Politics and Ethics Review, 1:1, 81-
90.
• Paris, Roland (2003) Peacekeeping and the Constraints of Global
Culture, European Journal of International Relations, 9:3, 441-473.
• UNHCR & Save the Children United Kingdom (2002) Note for
Implementing & Operational Partners on Sexual Violence &
Exploitation: The Experience of Refugee Children in Guinea, Liberia,
& Sierra Leone. Based on Initial Findings and Recommendations
from Assessment Mission 22 October – 30 November 2001.