CIMIC and Peacekeeping ‘Effectiveness’: The Role of ‘Communication’ as a Critical Interface in Evolving UNPKO Dynamics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37540/njips.v5i1.118Keywords:
UN Peacekeeping, Pakistan military, civil-military coordination, communication, crisis and resource managementAbstract
‘Communication,’ as an ongoing process underlying civil-military interaction, may be taken as a key component in conceptualizing Civil-Military Coordination (CIMIC) in the context of peacekeeping. Consequently, it allows for a process-centric understanding of peacekeeping ‘effectiveness,’ particularly in the light of the growing disconnect between the functional dynamics of on-ground missions and broader overarching doctrine/principles. Transitional and Protection of Civilians (POC) mandates compel United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKOs) to operate on the margins of existing doctrine, requiring personnel engaged in conflict management to cultivate and exercise a broader skillset than one initially associated with traditional peacekeeping. Given this background, this research utilizes ‘scenario-based interviews’ so as to engage with the self-reflexive praxis of veteran Pakistani peacekeepers having served in integrated/hybrid missions. In doing so, it attempts to conceptualize communication as a process premised on the ‘shared intentionality’ of both military and civil personnel, utilizing de Coning’s peacekeeping dimension. Inputs received from the interview process are analyzed using a model conceptualizing communication as a process essential to the realization of successful PKO outcomes. Two key subthemes emerging from the interview process, i.e., crisis management/risk perception and resource management are discussed in relation to decisional processes and ‘bounded rationality constraints attending inter-and intra-group communication under CIMIC in peacekeeping spaces.
References
Abiew, F. K. (2003). NGO-Military relations in peace operations. International Peacekeeping, 10(1), 24-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/714002394
Aniola, J. (2007). Communication in Civil-Military cooperation (Master’s Thesis, Naval Postgraduate School) Dudley Knox Library. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/3636
Beighton, C. (2021). Scenario-based interviews: Developing studies of policy and practice. CCCU Research Space Repository, SAGE. https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/8w115/scenario-based-interviews-developing-studies-of-policy-and-practice
Bollettino, V. (2016). Civil-Military engagement: An empirical account of humanitarian perceptions of Civil-Military coordination during the response to Typhoon Haiyan. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 10(1), 7-10 https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2015.85
Cook, A.D.B., & Yogendran, S. (2019). Conceptualising humanitarian Civil-Military partnerships in the Asia-Pacific: (Re-)ordering cooperation. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 74(1), 35-53. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357718.2019.1693498
De Coning, C., Aoi, C., & Karlsrud, J. (Eds.). (2017). UN peacekeeping doctrine in a new era. Routledge.
De Coning, C. (2005). Civil-Military coordination and UN peacebuilding operations. African Journal on Conflict Resolution, 5(2), 89-118. https://doi.org/10.4314/ajcr.v5i2.39393
Diehl, P.F., & Druckman, D. (2010). Evaluating peace operations. Lynne Rienner.
Diehl, P.F., Reifschneider, J., & Hensel, P.R. (1996). United Nations intervention and recurring conflict. International Organization, 50(4). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020818300033555
Diehl, P.F. (1993). International peacekeeping. John Hopkins University Press.
Dorussen, H. (2014). Peacekeeping works, or does it? Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, 20(4), 527-537. https://doi.org/10.1515/peps-2014-0039
Druckman, D., Stern, P. C., Diehl, P., Fetherston, A.B., Johansen, R., Durch, W., & Ratner, S. (1997). Evaluating peacekeeping missions. Mershon International Studies Review, 41(1), 151-165. https://doi.org/10.2307/222819
Durch, W. J. (1996). UN peacekeeping, American politics, and the uncivil wars of the 1990s. St. Martin’s Press.
Fetherston, A.B. (1994). Towards a theory of United Nations peacekeeping. St. Martin’s Press.
Hartzell, C., Hoddie, M., & Rothchild, D. (2001). Stabilizing the peace after civil war: An investigation of some key variables. International Organization, 55(1), 183-208. https://doi.org/10.1162/002081801551450
Johansen, R.C. (1994). UN peacekeeping: How should we measure success? Mershon International Studies Review, 38(2), 301-310. https://doi.org/10.2307/222731
Kanciak, K., Jarosz, M., Glebocki, P., & Wrona, K. (2021, June 14-July 31). Enabling Civil-Military information sharing in federated smart environments. (Conference Paper). 2021 IEEE 7th World Forum on Internet of Things (WF-IoT), New Orleans, LA, USA. https://doi.org/10.1109/WF-IoT51360.2021.9595715
Lindenberg, M., & Bryant, C. (2001). Going global, transforming relief and development NGOs. Kumarian Press.
Lloyd, G., van Dyk, G., & de Kock, Ff. (2009). The psychological selection profile for civil-military coordination officers in peace-support operations. Accord. https://www.accord.org.za/ajcr-issues/the-psychological-selection-profile-for-civil-military-coordination-officers-in-peace-support-operations/
Martin, E., Nolte, I., & Vitolo, E. (2016). The Four Cs of disaster partnering: Communication, cooperation, coordination and collaboration. Disasters, 40(4), 621-643. https://doi.org/10.1111/disa.12173
Ramirez, R., Mukherjee, M., Vezzoli, S. & Kramer, A.M. (2015). Futures, 71, 70-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2015.06.006
Ratcliffe, J. (2002). Scenario planning: strategic interviews and conversations. Foresight, 4(1), 19-30. https://doi.org/10.1108/14636680210425228
Ratner, S.R. (1995). The new UN peacekeeping: Building peace in lands of conflict after the cold war. St. Martin’s Press.
Rietjens, S.J.H., Verlaan, K., Zaalberg, T.W.B., & De Boer, S.J. (2009). Inter-organisational communication in civil-military cooperation during complex emergencies: a case study in Afghanistan. Disasters, 33(3), 412-435. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7717.2008.01081.x
Sandler, T. (2017). International peacekeeping operations: Burden sharing and effectiveness. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 61(9), 1875-1897. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0022002717708601
Wentz, L. (2006). An ICT PRIMER: Information and Communication Technologies for Civil-Military coordination in disaster relief and stabilization and reconstruction. National Defense University Washington DC, Center for Technology and Security Policy. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA454071.pdf
1.png)
