The complex debate around the United Nations (UN) intervention in civil wars remains a central topic within international relations and conflict studies, generating deep thinking and research. The paper analytically scrutinizes various UN interventions in civil conflicts, demonstrating their successes, challenges, and moral dilemmas. The panorama of the UN intervention spectrum is unraveled, encompassing peacekeeping missions, humanitarian aid amelioration, and conflict resolution methodologies. Furthermore, this paper examines the intricate dynamics of the United Nations Security Council, regional organizations, and other parties, revealing if and when their involvement facilitates or hinders UN intervention in civil wars. The paper explores these complexities in a way that not only highlights the intricate features that lie at the heart of UN intervention in civil conflicts but also aims at proffering viable solutions that can both enhance the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping efforts as well as mitigate limitations, hence contributing to the ongoing debate on conflict resolution and the global peacekeeping initiatives.
Civil wars, which are defined by the violent clashes within a state, are one of the most terrible and destructive conflicts in the world. They cause much suffering to people, and they destabilize the region. In realizing the negative impact of such conflicts, the United Nations has always acted to restore peace, protect civilians, and stabilize areas where the conflicts have occurred (Smidt, 2020). However, the responsibility and ethical issues regarding UN intervention in civil war remain areas of intense academic research and debate within international relations.
This paper starts by giving a general outline of the historical background and development of UN intervention in civil conflicts in the following parts. Next, it will provide an overview of the varied UN approaches to civil wars, such as peacekeeping operations, peace-building activities, humanitarian aid, and conflict resolution methods. Finally, this paper will examine the outcomes of such programs in terms of conflict resolution, protection of civilians, and long-term peace-building. Additionally, it will handle the problems and ethical challenges the UN intervention package faces regarding sovereignty, impartiality, and use of force concerns. The paper will end by giving the writer’s conclusions on the lessons learned and the recommendations for the effectiveness and legitimacy of UN intervention in civil wars.
The UN’s involvement in civil wars has a complex and multifaceted historical background closely related to the UN’s founding principles and the geopolitical perspective of the post-World War II era. Established in 1945, the UN Charter initially stressed the principle of non-interference, which meant, in particular, an individual state’s sovereignty. This was the basic rule that reflected the prevailing customary law, which emphasized the importance of the independence of states. Hence, the advent of the Cold War and the revival of civil wars in the post-colonial era disrupted the UN’s ban on intervention. The Korean War (1950-1953) changed the UN’s peacekeeping operations. It was the main UN military intervention in a civil war (Bove et al., 2021). The conflict has emphasized the need for the UN to design its strategies for preserving international peace and security to cope with the new nature of global threats.
The UN intervention in the Korean War was a precedent that caused the UN to become more constrained in responding to subsequent civil wars during most of the Cold War period. The two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, were left competing, which resulted in the frequent paralyzing of the UN Security Council, thus making it difficult to take any substantial action to resolve civil conflicts in Africa, Asia, and Latin America (Kathman & Benson, 2019). The internal ideological and political differences among the permanent United Nations Security Council members obstructed the organization from timely and effective responses to international crises. However, the end of the Cold War brought a turning point in the scope of UN interventions. The UN shifted towards being more active and having its mandate interpreted widely after reducing tensions between the superpowers. The absence of a persistent bipolar power pattern allowed the organization more room to deal with conflicts (Kathman & Benson, 2019). This time frame increased UN peacekeeping missions, humanitarian interventions, and peace-building projects, thus portraying a more responsive role in stopping civil wars and maintaining global security.
The United Nations uses a multidirectional approach to intervene in civil wars, designed to address each conflict’s specific nature and dynamics. One major means the UN uses is peacekeeping, a preventive measure where UN troops are deployed to conflict regions. Their tasks include monitoring ceasefires, overseeing demobilization efforts, and facilitating political dialogues. The fact is that this approach has become a critical element in civil conflicts all over the world because of its flexibility and adaptability to varying conditions worldwide. The UN operations in Bosnia and Sierra Leone are a few examples (Smidt, 2020). Bosnia was a peacekeeping mission where the UN provided stability to a region torn by ethnic strife. The United Nations peacekeeping forces were also important in the post-conflict rebuilding exercise in Sierra Leone. In order to address the complicated and multifaceted character of the war, the UN also participated in peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Understanding that addressing the underlying causes is the only way to establish enduring peace, the UN has intervened to support peacekeeping efforts with peace-building. This strategy includes initiatives to improve governance institutions, promote socioeconomic development in societies affected by conflict, and assist parties in reconciling. Organizations like the Peace-building Fund and the Commission of the United Nations, which offer financial and logistical support to nations facing post-conflict issues, are examples of this dedication (Kathman & Benson, 2019). These programs are predicated on the UN’s belief that inclusive and multifaceted approaches are essential for achieving lasting peace.
In addition, the UN fulfills a primary humanitarian goal by standing up for civilians harmed by civil conflict. It also includes assistance from IDPs, refugees, and other vulnerable populations. Life-saving assistance in a variety of areas, including food, shelter, and medical supplies, is mostly provided by humanitarian organizations like the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (Kathman & Benson, 2019). This aspect of UN involvement bears witness to its commitment, as one of its core purposes, to end hostilities and alleviate the acute suffering of people following civil wars.
Because the outcomes of UN interventions might differ depending on the situation, their efficacy is complicated. When a UN intervention is carried out effectively, the outcomes demonstrate the scope of these operations. One excellent example that has demonstrated the most success is the UN peacekeeping effort in Liberia, which is essential to ending the civil conflict there (Bove et al., 2021). It is believed that these preventative actions made democracy possible and guaranteed the state’s survival after the war.
Furthermore, several barriers and limitations hinder UN involvement. One of the biggest challenges is the ongoing issue of the member nations’ lack of political will, which results in underfunding efforts to maintain and strengthen peace and a workforce deficit. This is a severe issue as poor commitment causes UN missions to become less effective, which makes it impossible for them to carry out their assigned duties (Kathman & Benson, 2019). However, these conflicts are aggravated by UN interventions taking place in areas of hostile conflict that can be hostile to the local authorities, and even the implementation of mandated tasks is not a guarantee. Consequently, these challenges make international community coordination necessary to eliminate all obstacles, including logistical and political challenges, to ensure more favorable conditions for UN interventions in civil wars.
The United Nations’ intervention in civil wars calls for ethical reflection, where the focus is on the issues of sovereignty, impartiality, and justice. Some critics contend that UN missions undermine the sovereignty of states, which in turn may spark the feeling of being incompetent in the sphere of self-determination (Smidt, 2020). Although the UN Charter protects the right to non-interference, the actions of the UN during civil wars are perceived as interference. Critics say such excesses set a dangerous precedent, threaten state sovereignty, and make it more difficult for states to fix internal affairs on their own without outside help, in addition to being accused of doing so bias and prejudice against UN peacekeepers, triggering an ethical review of them. There is concern about impartial UN actions in peacekeeping missions when peacekeepers are perceived as supporting one of the belligerents (Bove et al., 2021). Finding the balance between the need to maintain peace and the rule of neutrality—which prohibits any position that could exacerbate hatred or prolong conflict—is difficult.
Ethical dilemmas become apparent as UN peacekeeping operations examine the moral consequences of using force. Energy licenses are a double-edged sword, especially when protecting civilians or enforcing peace agreements. Critics say that while there are good intentions behind these actions, they can increase violence and undermine the credibility and impartiality of UN systems. A careful balance must be struck when supporting human rights norms and strict application of international humanitarian law (Kathman & Benson, 2019). Thus, to maintain the legitimacy and credibility of UN intervention in civil conflicts, the system must provide accountability, transparency, and respect for national sovereignty. Given the changing nature of international conflicts, addressing these ethical dilemmas is increasingly important as UN players seek to make the negotiations a complex terrain of civil wars.
United Nations intervention in civil conflict remains a sensitive and divisive issue in international relations. It is important to remember that despite the UN’s contribution to peace-building, protecting people, and reducing violence in conflict-affected areas, UN policies have limits and limitations. A favorable security environment, cooperation of warring factions, and political will are some factors that affect the effectiveness of UN intervention. The UN and member states must (re)solve these problems in the future for the organization to improve its ability to deal with civil war. It also calls for a renewed commitment to multilateralism. In order to promote global peace, security, and human rights, the United Nations can avoid civil conflicts and end them successfully by drawing lessons from the past and using more practical and scalable methods.
Bove, V., Salvatore, J. D., & Elia, L. (2021). UN Peacekeeping and Households’ Well‐Being in Civil Wars. American Journal of Political Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12644
Kathman, J., & Benson, M. (2019). Cut Short? United Nations Peacekeeping and Civil War Duration to Negotiated Settlements. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 63(7), 002200271881710. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002718817104
Smidt, H. M. (2020). United Nations Peacekeeping Locally: Enabling Conflict Resolution, Reducing Communal Violence. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 64(2-3), 002200271985963. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002719859631