This course provides a comprehensive look at the evolution of UN peace operations, examining doctrinal changes, human rights integration, and responses to various global conflicts. Case studies from Timor-Leste, Sudan, and Libya offer real-world insights into peacekeeping practices.

UN Peace Operations
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What you'll learn
Explore the legal and doctrinal evolution of UN peacekeeping
Understand peace operations in post-independence and post-authoritarian contexts
Analyze the integration of human rights in peacekeeping missions
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September 2026
13 assignments
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There are 12 modules in this course
This module explores the legal foundations of the United Nations, focusing on the UN Charter's role in shaping peacekeeping operations. It examines key historical developments and the evolving interpretation of international law regarding collective security and state sovereignty.
What's included
1 video2 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
2 readings•Total 11 minutes
- Introduction•5 minutes
- THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE'S RULINGS ON PEACEKEEPING•6 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Foundations of UN Peace Operations•16 minutes
This module explores the United Nations' role in decolonization and its responses to post-independence crises from 1962 to 2012. Learners will analyze the effectiveness of UN missions and understand the challenges faced by newly independent states. The focus is on how the UN facilitated transitions to self-governance and managed regional conflicts.
What's included
1 video4 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
4 readings•Total 18 minutes
- Introduction•3 minutes
- UN Mission in East Timor and UN Transitional Administration in East Timor: A Success Story with Some Missteps•6 minutes
- United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor•4 minutes
- RESPONDING TO POST-INDEPENDENCE CRISIS•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Post-Independence Challenges and International Responses•16 minutes
This module explores the role of the United Nations in peacekeeping during and after the Cold War, focusing on key operations, their challenges, and their impact on global conflict resolution. Learners will analyze case studies of UN missions and evaluate their effectiveness in promoting stability and peace.
What's included
1 video6 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
6 readings•Total 30 minutes
- Introduction•6 minutes
- UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia•4 minutes
- UNAVEM I, UNAVEM II, UNAVEM III and MONUA: Failure that Costed 1.5 Billion USD•6 minutes
- Return of the UN•5 minutes
- UN SECRETARY-GENERAL'S REPORT ON FALL OF SREBRENICA•4 minutes
- Conclusions by the Secretary-General•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Post-Cold War Conflicts and International Responses•16 minutes
This module explores the role of the United Nations in managing intrastate conflicts, focusing on peacekeeping strategies, post-conflict recovery, and the impact of such missions on global stability. Learners will analyze case studies from Guatemala, Sudan, Liberia, and Mali to understand the complexities of ethnic and ideological conflicts. The module provides insights into how international interventions shape political and social transformation in affected regions.
What's included
1 video11 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
11 readings•Total 64 minutes
- Introduction•4 minutes
- GUATEMALA: MINUGUA—CONFLICT THAT KILLED 200,000 PEOPLE•5 minutes
- UN Mission in Nepal•4 minutes
- INTRASTATE CONFLICTS BASED ON ETHNIC AND OTHER IDENTITIES•4 minutes
- SUDAN: UNMIS—MISSIONS MUSHROOMED WHILE PEACE WAS A MIRAGE•5 minutes
- Abyei•10 minutes
- BLUE NILE AND SOUTH KORDOFAN•10 minutes
- Darfur•5 minutes
- Sudan Postscript•9 minutes
- LIBERIA: UNOMIL, UNOL AND UNMIL—PEACEKEEPING HELPS IN TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY BUT A LONG HAUL•5 minutes
- MALI: MINUSMA—UN'S HOLDING OPERATION WHILE NOTHING CHANGES•3 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- UN Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution•16 minutes
This module explores the complexities of deploying peacekeeping missions in countries transitioning from authoritarian rule to democracy. It analyzes case studies from Haiti, Sierra Leone, and Libya, focusing on challenges such as political instability, institutional weaknesses, and the effects of external interventions.
What's included
1 video6 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
6 readings•Total 31 minutes
- Introduction•4 minutes
- Continuing Conflict in the East•6 minutes
- HAITI: UNMIH, UNSMIH, UNTMIH, MIPONUH, MINUSTAH AND MINJUSTH—ONE STEP FORWARD AND TWO STEPS BACKWARD•5 minutes
- SIERRA LEONE: UNAMSIL, UNIOSIL AND UNIPSIL—A SUCCESS STORY AFTER INTERVENTION BY ITS FORMER COLONIAL POWER•6 minutes
- LIBYA: UNSMIL—INITIAL OPTIMISM, FALSE SENSE OF EUPHORIA AND DESCENT INTO CHAOS•6 minutes
- Libya's Transition to Democracy and Its Challenges•4 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Challenges and Dynamics of Democratic Transitions•16 minutes
This module explores the role of the United Nations in post-US intervention settings, focusing on peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. It covers the challenges of conflict resolution, the legitimacy of UN actions, and the political dynamics involved in post-war stabilization efforts. Learners will gain insight into how international organizations respond to complex global conflicts.
What's included
1 video2 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
2 readings•Total 10 minutes
- Introduction•6 minutes
- IRAQ: UNAMI—LEGITIMIZING AN ILLEGAL WAR•4 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Post-US-led Intervention Dynamics•16 minutes
This module explores the transformation of UN peacekeeping operations from 1992 to 2015, focusing on key reports, strategic shifts, and their impact on global peace and post-conflict recovery. Learners will gain an understanding of how the UN responded to evolving security challenges and refined its peacebuilding approaches over time.
What's included
1 video4 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
4 readings•Total 28 minutes
- Introduction•9 minutes
- 2000: BRAHIMI REPORT•4 minutes
- 2003: HIGH-LEVEL PANEL ON THREATS, CHALLENGES AND CHANGE•7 minutes
- 2009: DPKO AND DFS A NON-PAPER—'A NEW PARTNERSHIP AGENDA: CHARTING A NEW HORIZON FOR UN PEACEKEEPING'•8 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Evolution of UN Peacekeeping Doctrine•16 minutes
This module explores the historical and legal evolution of force usage in UN peacekeeping missions, focusing on challenges in intrastate conflicts and the impact of key reports like the Brahimi Panel. It examines the complexities of balancing state sovereignty with the protection of civilians.
What's included
1 video2 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Introduction•12 minutes
- DEBATE ON UN'S USE OF FORCE IN ITS PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS•8 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Challenges in UN Peacekeeping and Use of Force•16 minutes
This module explores the integration of key thematic areas such as human rights, gender equality, and civilian protection within UN peacekeeping operations. It covers the evolution of peacekeeping doctrines and the challenges faced in addressing issues like sexual violence, child soldiers, and humanitarian intervention. Learners will gain insight into the policies and frameworks used to protect vulnerable populations in conflict zones.
What's included
1 video7 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
7 readings•Total 28 minutes
- INTRODUCTION•4 minutes
- UN-WIDE POLICY DEVELOPMENT•5 minutes
- SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT•3 minutes
- CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT•4 minutes
- PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS•4 minutes
- THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON INTERVENTION AND STATE SOVEREIGNTY•3 minutes
- AFRICAN UNION'S INITIATIVE ON THE PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Thematic Integration in Peace Operations•16 minutes
This module explores the role of human rights in peacekeeping operations from 1990 to 1998, analyzing key missions, challenges, and outcomes in countries like El Salvador, Rwanda, and Angola. It provides insight into how human rights frameworks were integrated into post-conflict efforts and evaluates their effectiveness through historical assessments.
What's included
1 video7 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
7 readings•Total 43 minutes
- Introduction•5 minutes
- Guatemala•9 minutes
- ANGOLA•5 minutes
- HAITI•4 minutes
- RWANDA•9 minutes
- REFLECTIONS AND REVIEW OF HUMAN RIGHTS FIELD OPERATIONS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN 1990 AND 1998•6 minutes
- MAJOR POINTS FROM IAN MARTIN'S ASSESSMENT REPORT•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Human Rights in UN Peacekeeping Operations•16 minutes
This module explores the role of human rights components in peacekeeping operations, focusing on strategies for monitoring, reporting, and ensuring accountability in conflict zones. It covers the challenges of cooperation with local forces, the development of policies for human rights due diligence, and the importance of leadership and staffing in effective implementation.
What's included
1 video5 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
5 readings•Total 22 minutes
- Introduction•5 minutes
- HUMAN RIGHTS DUE DILIGENCE POLICY•4 minutes
- REPORT ON CIVILIAN CASUALTIES•4 minutes
- LEADERSHIP•4 minutes
- RECRUITMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS STAFF•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Human Rights in UN Peacekeeping Operations•16 minutes
This module explores the role of human rights frameworks in post-conflict states, focusing on the challenges and strategies used in judicial systems, transitional justice, and civil society engagement. Learners will analyze case studies from Timor-Leste, Sudan, and Libya to understand how international and local actors address human rights issues in complex political environments.
What's included
1 video12 readings2 assignments
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
12 readings•Total 69 minutes
- Introduction•6 minutes
- United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor Human Rights Office•6 minutes
- North–South Peace Agreement•6 minutes
- Amending Regulations•6 minutes
- Human Rights Division's Response to Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Darfur•6 minutes
- Reporting and Analysis Unit•6 minutes
- Workshop on Human Rights Treaties for National Assembly Members•6 minutes
- Women's Human Rights•6 minutes
- Coordination between Civilian Components•6 minutes
- Strengthening Civil Society•6 minutes
- Reconciliation•5 minutes
- Public Report on Transitional Justice in Libya•4 minutes
2 assignments•Total 64 minutes
- The UN Peace Operations Final Assessment•48 minutes
- Human Rights in Post-Conflict Operations•16 minutes
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Felipe M.

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Larry W.

Chaitanya A.

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