Peacekeeping and Counter-insurgency – Two of a Kind?

Abstract

This article demonstrates that there are more similarities between peacekeeping and counter-insurgency (COIN) than often recognized. In today's 'war among the people', the counter-insurgent cannot succeed with offensive military capabilities alone and must seek to apply also non-kinetic and defensive methods; whereas the peacekeeper often is forced to apply 'robust' and kinetic means to implement a mandate. As a result, the two concepts seem to be converging and share some commonalities. The article compares the UN DPKO 'capstone doctrine' and the US Army Counterinsurgency Field Manual to argue that the two doctrines share similarities in six areas: 1) a focus on civilian solutions; 2) a need for protection of civilians; 3) international coherence; 4) host-nation ownership; 5) use of intelligence in support of operations; 6) limitations of the use of force. The article suggests areas where the two doctrines could mesh with each other. ______________________________________________Peacekeeping and counter-insurgency (COIN) operations appear at first glance to be at opposing ends on a spectrum of military force. The popular conception of the former is of an impartial lightly-armed force overseeing a peace agreement with the consent of the warring parties. Force is hardly used, except for force protection.COIN operations on the other hand, are often associated with war-fighting, where significant force is used to counter the attacks from insurgents that are attempting to topple the authorities.However, UN peacekeeping has evolved significantly since the end of the Cold War, and while impartiality remains a key facet, the nature of today's wars requires a different approach. Intra-state wars account for proportionately more conflicts that inter-state wars. The mandates of peacekeeping missions are now

The Cosmopolitan Military

“…In particular, it situates the military contribution as just one dimension in a broader programme of development and societal reform, to stabilise fragile or failing states. In this respect, it has clear connections with the emergence of multidimensional peace operations (Friis, 2010). Stabilisation has emerged in parallel with more specific policy and concepts for the protection of civilians, reflecting the influence of R2P advocacy in the mid-late 2000s (see FCO, 2010;Giffen, 2010;Sewall et al, 2010;PKSOI, 2013).…”

Peacekeeping as Conflict Containment

“…Similarly, the atypical nature of UN SCR 2098 (2013), which established an “intervention brigade” as part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), illustrates that PKOs may be better suited to containment than to the pursuit of armed actors. This brigade was authorized to consist of three infantry battalions, an artillery company, and a “special force and reconnaissance” company; its mandate focused on “neutralizing armed groups” through “targeted offensive operations… in a robust, highly mobile and versatile manner.” This intervention brigade does resemble the type of COIN activity that Friis () discusses, but it remains rare. It is clear from the language in the resolution that this type of mission is atypical, even to the point that the resolution specifically clarifies that this is not to set a precedent for peacekeeping missions to come.…”

“…Lessons from places such as Rwanda, Bosnia, Somalia, and Lebanon might suggest that peacekeeping operations (PKOs) will tend to stand aside and/or be withdrawn as armed actors mobilize, to keep peacekeepers out of the line of fire. However, Friis () argues that peacekeeping and counterinsurgency (COIN) are starting to converge. If this is the case, then we might expect peacekeeping to lead to conflict displacement or increase the movement of conflict zones, as the deployment of international forces might mimic the strengthening of government forces and cause rebel groups to fight in disparate locations as a means of survival.…”

A atuação militar brasileira na MINUSTAH : estratégias de enfrentamento das gangues no Haiti

“…Esse processo, conforme identificado por Friis (2010), tem aproximado a doutrina de manutenção da paz das Nações Unidas das doutrinas de contra insurgência adotadas por países membros da OTAN.…”