| This study applies the three main paradigms of international relation theory—realism, liberal institutionalism, and constructivism—to explain the incentives for member state participation in United Nations peace operations. The theoretical analysis is oriented around a new five-part typology of peace operations (peace observation operations, preventive deployment operations, peacekeeping operations, selective enforcement operations, and full enforcement operations), a comprehensive survey of the participation history of all U.N. member states, and case studies on the participation of the United States, Canada, Argentina, Pakistan, and Ghana. The case studies focus specifically on four peace operations in which each of these states has participated: the United Nations Mission in the Western Sahara (MINURSO), the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force in Macedonia (UNPREDEP), the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), and the United Nations Protection Force in the former Yugoslavia (UNPROFOR). Where appropriate, the study draws on other peace operations to support the theoretical analysis.; The analysis applies the major assumptions and conceptual tools of the three major theoretical approaches to test their relative explanatory power. Hypotheses are developed for each of the theoretical approaches. The realist hypotheses center on strategic considerations, national prestige, tangible rewards and benefits, and military expenditures. The liberal institutionalist hypotheses center on the “shadow of the future”, international regimes, the planning and implementation of U.N. missions, and the collective action problem. The constructivist hypotheses center on national identities, collective identity dynamics, and historical experience. One of the main objectives of the dissertation is to examine the extent to which the assumptions and key concepts of constructivism can compete with realism and institutionalism in explaining the behavior of states in the international system. The study attempts to use constructivism empirically in a social scientific framework to account for state decision-making.; The research leads to several policy recommendations aimed at enhancing the participation of member states in United Nations peace operations. The recommendations are targeted at finding innovative means of recruiting states into U.N. missions, including Charter reform, changes to existing U.N. organs, and an expansion of responsibilities for individual member states in the maintenance of international peace and security. |
