United Nations Peacekeeping Participation and Civil-Military Relations in Troop Contributing Countries
Abstract
This thesis examines Nepal's historical contribution to United Nations peacekeeping missions and also identifies a puzzling situation: Nepal suffers from unstable civil-military relations (CMR) at home, even as it supports UN peacekeeping efforts with large overseas deployments. This finding is counterintuitive because the conventional wisdom on CMR argues that participation in international peacekeeping operations promotes stable CMR by making young soldiers more cosmopolitan, less nationalistic, more externally oriented, and less inclined to participate in domestic politics. The thesis traces Nepal's policy-making process on peacekeeping issues, including the role of the foreign ministry and the military establishment in policy making, and analyzes the evolution of CMR in Nepal. The thesis finds that while peacekeeping has provided valuable international experiences for Nepal's armed forces, the benefits of such engagements are diminished due to its weak political institutions and continuing political crises. The armed forces' focus is still dominated by the domestic context, while civilians pay little attention to foreign policy and peacekeeping matters. Both trends -- a military focus on domestic stability and civilian apathy towards defense and foreign policy -- help explain why CMR in Nepal are inherently unstable, despite its military involvement in peacekeeping duties abroad.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA518647
Entities
People
- Surendra S. Rawal
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School