Securing observance of UN mandates through the employment of military force

The complexities of post‐1987 UN military operations have caused much conceptual confusion. Contrary to what may be the prevailing opinion, the way out of the confusion is to accept that there are three (not two) options open to the UN when it deploys military force: peacekeeping, inducement and enforcement. Of the three options, inducement is the most difficult to see through to success. Whether conducting inducement or enforcement, the UN is confronted with the same challenges facing any military coalition. Working in the context of a UN‐based coalition magnifies those challenges, generally making them more difficult to resolve, while also creating new ones. The Secretariat has recognized that the procedures devised for traditional peacekeeping are not adequate to contend with those challenges and is instituting extensive reforms so that it can be better prepared to act promptly. For the foreseeable future, there are limits to what the Secretariat can do to improve its capabilities for inducement and en...