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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations

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As part of peacekeeping efforts, stability operations—post-conflict military efforts to bring peace and security to a region or country—represent an ongoing challenge for both military planners and civilian policymakers. RAND research has provided effective strategic recommendations in many such operations, helping those involved in unified stabilization, peacekeeping and security, transition, and reconstruction.

Report
Weighing the Trade-Offs of U.S. Military Interventions
Military interventions can be effective at advancing U.S. interests in some contexts and situations. But they can have the opposite effect in other cases, creating long-term entanglements and increasing economic and strategic costs without realizing U.S. objectives.
Dec 13, 2021
Q&A
Helping People Affected by Conflict: Q&A with Jacqueline Burns
From the Air Force to Africa to RAND, Jacqueline Burns resolved to help people whose lives have been torn apart by conflict or disaster. As a senior policy analyst she wants to be a part of finding better solutions to the complex questions of peace and security.
Dec 22, 2021

Explore Peacekeeping and Stability Operations

Report
Defense Planning Implications of Climate Change for U.S. Central Command
This report examines how U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) planners could use operations, activities, and investments in the coming decades to address security threats related to stressors from climate change in the CENTCOM area of responsibility.
Nov 29, 2023
Commentary
The Inevitable, Ongoing Failure of Israel's Gaza Strategy
The Hamas attack represented a spectacular failure of Israel's “mowing the grass” strategy in the Gaza Strip. If there's to be any hope of preventing the next war and the one after that, Israel will need to rebuild Gaza into something better than it was.
Oct 19, 2023
Commentary
Toward a New Paradigm in U.S. Foreign Policy: Harnessing the Power of American Society in Pursuit of U.S. National Security Objectives
In this Perspective, the authors call for a new “whole of America” paradigm for U.S. foreign policy that leverages the nation’s governments, businesses, civil society, and academic institutions to defend core U.S. principles of democracy and freedom.
Aug 17, 2023
Journal Article
Competitive Alliances and Civil War Recurrence
Why do internal wars start anew after they apparently end? This essay examines competition between allied rebel groups in civil wars as a contributor to civil war renewal.
Jun 8, 2023
Research Brief
What Should Future U.S. Policy Toward Russia Be in Peacetime?
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made a constructive U.S.-Russia relationship implausible for the foreseeable future. But once the fighting stops, the United States will continue to face long-term incentives to improve the stability and predictability of its relations with Moscow.
May 17, 2023
Report
Future U.S. Peacetime Policy Toward Russia: Exploring the Benefits and Costs of a Less-Hardline Approach
Using four historical case studies, the authors found that limited less-hardline approaches can lead to durable but narrow gains. However, issues left unaddressed by these approaches may still undermine the relationship over the long term.
May 17, 2023
Report
U.S. Major Combat Operations in the Indo-Pacific: Partner and Ally Views
This report, one of two, focuses on whether partners and allies have the willingness to support U.S. operations in a major Indo-Pacific conflict. The companion report focuses on technical and operational issues.
May 16, 2023
Commentary
The Fight for Sudan Was Inevitable
When conflict in Sudan did not end after the 2005 peace agreement, the international community fell into a familiar pattern of never-ending negotiations. But conflict resolution focused on agreements that split power between armed groups rarely leads to sustainable peace. The effects of such misbegotten efforts are plain to see.
Apr 27, 2023
Commentary
A New Era? NATO's Prioritisation of Human Security in an Insecure World
Human security and NATO's role and responsibility to protect civilians during conflict saw new prioritization in the alliance's 2022 Strategic Concept. While much progress has been made, more could be done to ensure the alliance can deliver on these commitments.
Aug 10, 2022
Report
Human Security and the 2022 NATO Strategic Concept: Knowledge, Insights and Lessons Learned
These conference proceedings document the perspectives of human security experts brought together to provide recommendations on the importance of human security within the new Strategic Concept and the future of NATO.
Jun 15, 2022
Commentary
Ukraine's Best Chance for Peace
In late March, Ukrainian diplomats introduced an innovative framework for a deal that could provide a pathway out of the war. There are powerful obstacles to achieving an agreement based on the framework, but so far it is the most plausible pathway identified to a sustainable peace for Ukraine.
Jun 1, 2022
Blog
A Peacekeeping Operation in Ukraine, Synthetic Opioids, Geoengineering: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on why it may be time to consider a peacekeeping operation in northern Ukraine, supporting veterans with traumatic brain injury, a new response to synthetic opioids, and more.
Apr 29, 2022
Commentary
Time for a U.N. Peace Enforcement Operation in Northern Ukraine?
Now that the Russian military in Ukraine has retreated north, a de facto cease-fire is in place in Kyiv and central Ukraine. This could present an opportunity for the United Nations to call for a formal cease-fire in reclaimed territory and issue a recommendation to willing states to move into Ukraine with a peacekeeping force.
Apr 27, 2022
Commentary
China's Security Contractors Have Avoided the Fate of Russia's Military Contractors, So Far
China's approach to private security contractors is much more limited in scope and effects than Russia's use of private military contractors. But indicators suggest that Chinese planners see benefits in expanding and maturing China's use of private contractors, which creates the potential for dangerous results for China and the rest of the world.
Mar 11, 2022
Blog
Geoengineering, the Russia-Ukraine Crisis, Biosimilar Drugs: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on technologies that manipulate the climate, what NATO could do to address the Ukraine-Russia crisis, and cost savings from biosimilar drugs.
Jan 14, 2022
Blog
Gender Pay Gap Among Doctors, America's Labor Shortage, 'Hacking Equity': RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the pay gap between female and male doctors, understanding America’s weird job market, social and emotional learning, and more.
Dec 17, 2021
Report
Building Military Coalitions: Lessons from U.S. Experience
This report describes factors that seem to be associated with U.S. decisions to use coalitions for military interventions, factors that drive partner states to join such coalitions, and factors that shape the success of military coalitions.
Nov 30, 2021
Brochure
Select RAND Research on Counterinsurgency, Stability Operations, Support to Foreign Internal Defense, Nation-Building, and Special Operations: 1962-2019
This volume is an important resource for those interested in gaining an informed understanding of a persistent, though usually low-level, military threat to U.S. security.
Oct 7, 2021

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RAND Topic:
Peacekeeping and Stability Operations

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Elliott Brennan

Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND

Elliott Brennan is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Research, Analysis, and Design stream at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy researcher at RAND. His research interests include domestic and international food security, conflict prevention, and the intersection of…
Thomas S. Szayna

Adjunct Political Scientist

Thomas S. Szayna is an adjunct political scientist at the RAND Corporation. He has over 35 years of experience in national security policy and defense analysis.

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