Security and the UN are traditionally and inextricably linked. Challenges of 21st century are likely to be oriented towards conflicts within states, and also increasingly involve non-state actors, such as terrorists or national liberation movements. It is inevitable that the security challenges and the challenges of the 21st century will impact on the conduct of the peace operations. The peacekeepers are now expected to perform wide ranging roles and may have to resort to force more aggressively both in self defence and to bring back the derailed peace process. Military intervention in sovereign states will continue to take place in future, What is important is the application of the fundamental principles of the UN in counting the operations. Consent, Impartiality and Minimum Force influence any peace operation, undertaken by the UN or authorised by the UN. The need of the hour is to build on the existing expertise and to create foolproof conditions to ensure that this expertise is made available 'just in time' at 'just the right place'. The Armed Forces, or for that matter Security Forces of the Member States of the UN have a rich experience of over five decades in undertaking peacekeeping operations on behalf of the UN. Thus, the emerging challenges to peace operations and the corresponding new trends in operations need to be constantly analysed and validated.

This book makes an attempt to look into the evolving role of peace operations in the context of changing security scenario - which includes the role of peacekeepers in conflict resolution; analysis of some of the past UN peace operations i Africa, Europe and South countries; effect of new threat of terrorism on peace operations; role of security forces in the post conflict peace building; a trend analysis of the current operations and the main inadequacies of the UN peace operations.