Journal of Defence Studies

Counter UAS Technologies for India: A Prognosis

Unmanned systems pose grave threat to several countries and their interests due to a number of reasons: low barrier of entry into the procurement sector, commercial availability off the shelf (COTS), ubiquity, persistence and low radar cross section (RCS). Due to this, counter drone systems have been either deployed piecemeal or existing air defence systems have been used to fill the gap. The Indian Armed Forces have a very limited experience of dealing with either drones or counter-drone systems in an operational environment. The Jammu attack using improvised drones was a wake-up call.

Indian Women in Blue Helmets: Professionalism in Peacekeeping

Majority of conflict situations in which the United Nations (UN) intervenes today are complex and as per their mandates, joint efforts of both men and women are required to make the peacekeeping operations as effective as possible. In many instances, maintaining good relations with the civilian population is a prerequisite for effective peacekeeping, as it often implies easy access to information at the grassroots level and increased security for UN personnel and the local population.

India’s Contribution towards Technological Development of the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations

The Second World War created many apprehensions as the world had not witnessed catastrophe of that scale before. It raised many concerns for global peace, and led to the creation of United Nations (UN) primarily to prevent the world from the scourge of the Third World War. The UN Charter mandates the creation of a peacekeeping force for securing and creating conditions for lasting peace within the states and between the states. Since then, we have witnessed many ups and downs in the global order. There have been times when somehow war of a global scale was prevented.

Conduct and Discipline in United Nations Peace Operations and India’s Perspective

The United Nations Charter requires that all UN personnel mustmaintain the highest standards of integrity and conduct. The UN is committed to ensuring that all its personnel deployed globally serve with professionalism, courtesy and dignity. Allegations of Misconduct as well as Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by peacekeepers from various nations have often tarnished the image of the mission they represent and UN in general.

Peacekeeping Operations by United Nations in Partnership with a Sub-regional Organisation: Experiment in Liberia 1993–98

Liberia has witnessed intense internal strife, conflicts and total breakdown of law and order in the past. A West African organisation, ECOWAS and United Nations operated together in Liberia to obtain a peaceful settlement. It was the first UN peacekeeping mission undertaken in collaboration with a peacekeeping operation already being undertaken by a regional grouping. Though there are obvious advantages of regional groupings taking such initiatives there are numerous nuances which emerge when such organisations operate together.

Bangladeshi Women in UN Peacekeeping: A Case Study

The United Nations peacekeeping operations (UNPK) have been evolving continuously and Bangladesh as a country has been playing an important role in it. The country wants to remain a dominant contributor to UNPK even in future as the participation brings several advantages in military, diplomatic, economic and social arena. Meanwhile, it has also been realised that to make the UNPK more effective, women have to play an important role as there are certain functions which women can perform better.

UN Peacekeeping and Ambiguity in Normative UN Norms

When UN peacekeeping missions get deployed, adherence to the UN norms helps the missions get legitimacy, earn credibility, and find better acceptance in society. The UN norms namely the three principles of peacekeeping, which were conceptualised in 1958 have further evolved with different interpretations making the norms ambiguous impacting the performance of the UN peacekeeping operations.

UN Peacekeeping in Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2003–2010

Air power has played a critical role in counter-insurgency and irregular warfare across the world. India’s own rich experience is full of documented
roles of air power in such campaigns. This article documents the unique experience of Indian air power in ‘robust’ peacekeeping under the

Technology as a Force Multiplier in Contemporary UN PKO

Recent years have witnessed pronounced militarization and spread of global conflicts, throwing up new challenges to the UN on managing and resolving new conflicts. With the operating environment undergoing constant transformation, UN peace operations are experiencing a paradigm shift in their entire spectrum of peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. Climate security and COVID-19 pandemic have aggravated international tensions escalating political violence, social distress and economic decline.

India’s Contribution to Peacekeeping

The United Nations (UN) was established post-Second World War in 1945 to prevent another catastrophe of that magnitude and to promote international peace and cooperation.1 The UN Charter aims to maintain international peace and security and to that end, take collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to peace and for the suppression of acts of aggression. Of all the activities undertaken by the UN, peacekeeping missions have attracted the greatest public attention. The concept of peacekeeping evolved in 1950.