Police Peacekeeping: The UN, Haiti, and the Production of Global Social Order

UN peace operations increasingly deploy police forces and engage in policing tasks. This book challenges the optimistic view of police peacekeeping, arguing that the logic of policing leads to the depoliticization of conflict and the criminalization of those who threaten social order. It proposes a new way of studying peace operations that focuses on how they allow people and ideas to circulate globally, contributing to the (re)production of social orders that exclude marginalized populations.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 26 September 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

UN peace operations increasingly rely on deploying police forces and engaging in policing tasks. The shift towards police peacekeeping has garnered widespread enthusiasm in academic and policy circles, as it is perceived as a more civilian-oriented approach, better suited to mandates that prioritize protection. Rebuilding local police forces along democratic, liberal lines is considered a crucial step towards achieving peace and stability.

In his book, Lou Pingeot challenges this optimistic view of police peacekeeping. He argues that the logic of policing inherently leads to the depoliticization of conflict and the criminalization of individuals who are deemed to threaten not only public order but also social order. This justification allows for the use of violence against them in the name of law enforcement.

Police Peacekeeping offers a novel perspective on studying peace operations by shifting the focus from their success or failure to their impact on the circulation of people and ideas across borders. It demonstrates that peace operations serve as a hub for the creation and dissemination of policing discourses and practices globally. By facilitating the exchange of ideas and experiences, these missions contribute to the (re)production of social orders that exclude often racialized and socio-economically marginalized populations, both domestically (in countries of intervention) and internationally (in troop-contributing countries).

The book draws upon and contributes to critical understandings of police power that reveal that police forces were never intended to provide equal protection to all individuals. It further deepens our understanding of policing on a global scale. Pingeot's in-depth study of UN inter.

Weight: 622g
Dimension: 163 x 241 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198886617