Richard Gowan: UN peacekeeping has not faced drastic budget cuts during the financial crisis. But the UN is not immune to economic stresses: major donors, including members of the EU, are looking to keep costs down. These constraints could harm the UN as it prepares for possible crises in Sudan and the Middle East. Budgetary disputes could also damage relations with big troop contributors to the UN like Brazil and India. To avoid this, EU governments should make counter-cyclical strategic investments in UN peacekeeping to (i) sustain confidence in big UN military operations in Africa; and (ii) increase support to its light-weight political missions, including those in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

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Gowan Policy Brief