UN Conflict Management under Scrutiny

The UN has long faced criticism over its peace operations, culminating in severe crises in recent years due to geopolitical rivalries and the marked decline of multilateralism. Questions about its ability to act are becoming increasingly urgent. Confrontations among major powers, shifts in the international order, and financial constraints are complicating the UN’s operating environment. Can it remain an effective platform for managing conflict, advancing peaceful solutions, and addressing the root causes of violence? How adaptable is it in the face of complex and evolving conflict dynamics?

“There is probably no more exciting time than now to take a closer look at the United Nations and its peace operations. Developments over the next few years will set the course for what we can expect from multilateral conflict management in the coming decades.”

Frederik Schissler

These are precisely the questions addressed by PRIF's research group ‘United Nations Peacekeeping and Conflict Management’ (UNPAC). Led by Xinyu Yuan, the group explores how the UN responds to conflicts in the present and how these responses inform contemporary expectations and proposals for its role as a global peace actor.

In light of the challenges posed by the current geopolitical situation, changing conflict dynamics due to non-state actors and hybrid warfare, and structural deficits within the United Nations, the relevance of this research is obvious.

Against this backdrop, UNPAC studies how the United Nations is adapting to these new circumstances and analyses the effectiveness of its conflict management instruments. The focus is not only on how the UN has responded to the selected conflict situations, but above all on the process and dynamics shaping these responses.

What makes UNPAC's research special is that it aims to go beyond mission-oriented research in the field of peacekeeping. Research in the field often focuses on specific peacekeeping missions, which reveal the structural constraints of UN forces and shortcomings in their engagement with local developments and conflict-affected communities. Considering the recent trend toward integrating UN peace interventions and the increasingly complex landscape of actors involved, this research seeks to examine the full spectrum of UN responses. These include, for example, diplomatic initiatives, humanitarian aid, sanctions, and mediation processes. This comprehensive approach takes into account the reality of UN interventions, which can stem from different sources of agency and involve varied tools.

“Business as usual is no longer tenable. We must ask what a realistic future for the UN might look like and what factors are driving that evolution.”

Xinyu Yuan

In order to systematically record these processes, the four-year project begins with the creation of a specially developed dataset on UN measures and a case study on the Gaza conflict. This current case serves as a concrete example to reveal patterns in the UN's actions. This work seeks to empirically trace which authorities and UN agencies are involved in actions, what measures they are taking, and how the responses have developed over time. The initial research results from the creation of the dataset will be compiled in a working paper for academic conferences in mid-2026. The working paper will provide insight into where the UN currently stands, how the UN is responding to the war in the Gaza Strip, what mechanisms are at work in the shadow of realpolitik, and what discrepancies these reveal in relation to the role expected of the UN.

Building on this, the research group will devote itself to in-depth case studies in the following years. These will examine in more detail how actions are formulated within the UN, which actors are involved, and how political interests, power relations, and institutional structures shape its actions.

“This viewpoint allows us to look beyond the status quo and theorize about a potential future for UN peacekeeping and the UN in its entirety.”

Myriel Julie Mathez

Methodologically, UNPAC will combine multiple approaches, including computer-assisted document analysis, process tracing, and expert interviews.

The benefits of this research are manifold. It contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the United Nations and challenges both simplistic attributions of blame and naïve idealizations. At the same time, it provides valuable insights for policymakers working on reforms and strengthening the UN. Systematic analysis allows the identification of concrete starting points for improvement, for example in the areas of institutional processes, coordination, or resource allocation.

UNPAC has a clear goal: to better understand how the United Nations can maintain or regain its ability to act in a changing world. The research group is thus making an important contribution to the current debate on the future of international cooperation, UN reform, and the effectiveness of global peace policy. By making complex processes understandable and presenting its findings in a way that is accessible to both experts and the general public, it is helping to lay the foundations for more sustainable and effective conflict management.

The project launched its kick-off presentation at PRIF in 2025, attended by both in-house and external researchers from diverse academic backgrounds. The event highlighted the research’s significant implications for contemporary debates on international order and peace and conflict, as well as the importance of engaging with a wide range of research perspectives.