THE UNITED NATIONS AND PEACEKEEPING IN A UNIPOLAR WORLD ORDER

Peacekeeping operation is one of the creation of the United Nations General Assembly during the bi-polar era. This entails the deployment of United Nations forces to broker peace among warring parties. Traditional peacekeeping has the following attributes; maintaining neutrality diming operations, seeking the consent of the warring parties before intervention; using light weapons for self-defence etc. Traditional peacekeeping during the bi-polar era witnessed only the participation of neural states or small states who are members of the United Nations because of ideological antagonism. In this research, we employed descriptive and analytical methodology via content analysis ofavailable literatures to arrive at our findings. To understand the operation of the United Nations, the functionalist and federalist theory was analysed. This research work discovered some fundamental changes in the character and nature of peacekeeping operations during the unipolar world order. For instance, the notion of non-inference into domestic affairs of states is increasingly been relegated to the background; peacekeeping forces are no more neutral and they are well armedfor combatant fight with belligerent forces and there is increasingly participation of big powers in peacekeeping operations. The research also found out that the nature ofc risis today affected the character ofpeacekeeping operations. Today, peacekeeping operations have now changed to peace support operations which involves military and civilian who are not only in peacekeeping but also peace enforcement; peace making; peace building and humanitarian operations. In conclusion, these new developments in peacekeeping operations in the present unipolar order have its pros and cons to global peace and security.