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01 Understanding Peacemaking and Terrorism in the World - James Miskel, Ph.d.
Doug’s guest is James Miskel, Ph.D., an international security expert working in the field of post-conflict peacemaking and peacebuilidng. Jim describes the evolution of international peacemaking as it evolved from the 1970s forward In the 1970s, most of the conflicts were between adjoining nations. Typically, the UN would broker a ceasefire and send in a multinational peacekeeping force to secure the borders of the two countries. The important element was that the peacekeeping force was present with the mutual consent of the warring parties. The primary role of the peacekeeping force was to assure that th terms of the ceasefire were maintained by all sides.

In the 1990s, peacekeeping evolved into nation building. The UN and other international groups began to assist war-torn countries to re-establish a civil society through the rule of law, civil administration of government, and government service infrastructure. In the mid-1990s, international peace missions become actively involved in the affairs of countries experiencing civil war or insurrection. Thus, the scope of peacekeeping and peace building expanded dramatically.