Peacekeeping sparks violence, not peace

Peacekeeping missions are deployed with the hope and intention to facilitate peace, yet previous research suggests how peacekeeping missions inadvertently may escalate violence and in particular terrorism.This thesis aims to explore the relationship between peacekeeping missions and terrorism, in particular the impact of terrorism against civilians.Based on rational choice theory and the theory that terrorism is used to avoid barganing losses in negotiations, the proposed hypothesis expects an increase in terrorism intensity against civilians after the deployment of peacekeeping missions.Using data by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the UNSC, the empirical observations do not support the hypothesis in the cases of Mali and the Central African Republic.