030149 KU International Law of Peacekeeping Operations (2024S)

In particular since the end of the Cold War, the international community has often reacted to crises by employing peacekeeping operations. This course discusses the international legal framework in which they operate, in particular including:
- who are the relevant actors in this context (from the UN, to regional organizations, and the Troup Contributing Countries);
- how are peacekeeping operations created and by whom (resolutions by international organizations, and the Status of Mission/Forces Agreements with host states);
- how are they staffed (interactions between international organizations and (member) states);
- what legal norms apply to them when in the field (human rights and humanitarian law, Rules of Engagement); and
- what (if anything) happens when that legal framework is violated (questions of international responsibility, immunities).

These questions will be examined against the relevant broader historical and political background. A basic knowledge of public international law is preferable (e.g. on sources of international law; principles of international law; the status of states, individuals and international organizations), however not mandatory.