Abstract
Regional wars of Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Gaza, and the US-Israel-Iran have global ramifications. These conflicts have paralysed the permanent five members (P5) of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, impeding the Council’s ability to forge consensus and take effective measures to maintain international peace and security. The UN continues to be sidelined in many conflicts, and acts only as an observer to raging violent conflicts with large-scale civilian suffering and casualties. The UN needs to redefine and reorient UN Peace Operations with an immediate inclusion of the actual Troop Contributing Countries. These nations provide the boots on the ground and are sent into harm’s way in conflict zones with little input from them. Besides, democratisation and expansion of the UN Security Council, greater proactive engagement with host nations, regional organisations, and troop contributing countries during mandate planning can yield better results. The UN Peace Operations must have a clearly defined exit strategy in place before deploying in a contested environment. To make peace work, the world urgently needs a dispassionate UN body that truly reflects broader interests in maintaining global peace and stability. The UN must move towards a better future with the vision, focus, and commitment of all member states, shedding the baggage of legacy, ego, and vested self-interests.
Keywords: UN Peace Operations, UN Security Council, TCC, UN Mandate, Exit strategy
