Understanding Deadly Force in United Nations Peacekeeping Since the ‘Robust Turn’

What do we know about the number of deaths and injuries caused due to the employment of deadly force by United Nations peacekeeping operations? This article addresses this question through an exploration of datasets on violent events in UN peacekeeping since 2010, focussing specifically on those instances where the mandated use of deadly force has led to death and injury, underpinned by a detailed review of UN policy and peacekeeping literature. Through doing so, the article finds that whilst the UN has policies and safeguards at the ‘input’ stage of deadly force, such as mandates and guidance, there appears to be little to no formal UN data of its ‘outputs’. Instead, there is a contested space in which accessible formal UN data of the effects of deadly force is almost non-existent. The paper sheds light on this important, yet under-explored aspect of peacekeeping practice, investigating what it may tell us about the use of force in peacekeeping, and the UN as a third-party intervener in violent conflict.