UN peacekeeping missions explained: How they work and the challenges they face

UN peacekeeping missions seek to establish long-term security and peace in conflict-affected countries. Since the Cold War's end, UN peacekeeping missions have been designed to bring wars to a close, protect civilians, and actively promote long-term peace and security. To help enforce peace treaties, military action and diplomacy are required. To protect civilians, large military and police forces can be deployed. However, international support for UN peacekeeping is diminishing, and challenges such as rising international tensions and critical scrutiny are becoming more prevalent. Some powerful states, including India and China, are still skeptical of comprehensive UN peacebuilding strategies. Western support has also become more sporadic, especially since the Trump administration's changes in US policy and funding.