Domestic Security Implications of UN Peacekeeping

Participation of developing countries in institutions of global governance is key to the promotion of peace, security and stability. This project investigates links between UN peacekeeping contributions, domestic security provision and drivers of stability in Ghana. By generating knowledge on how participation in international peacekeeping shapes the legitimacy and effectiveness of security institutions and practices in troop contributing countries, it offers insight into dynamics of peace- and state building. The project tests the hypotheses that global peacekeeping participation: a) results in the assembling of new practices, norms and discourses that shape the organization and provision of domestic security in public and private domains, b) strengthens the legitimacy and effectiveness of domestic security organization and provision, and c) promotes national security interests and drivers of regional stability. To explore the correlation between peacekeeping participation and domestic security, the notion of ‘peacekeeping assemblages’ is introduced. This notion draws attention to how security is structured by local-global and private-public relations, thus calling for a reassessment of more state oriented approaches to security provision and peacekeeping. By showing how the global is productive of the local, the project contributes to scholarly debates on entanglements of institutions, actors, practices, norms and discourses, and the production of novel forms of security governance. The project thus fills a significant empirical and theoretical knowledge gap on the side effects of peacekeeping on troop contributing countries in the global South. Furthermore, it contributes to international policy-making on the promotion of legitimate security institutions, stabilization and conflict prevention through participation in global governance. The project is implemented by a consortium of Danish and Ghanaian research institutions, and will strengthen research capacity and international competitiveness in the areas of security and peacebuilding, and enhance South-South and North-South research partnerships.