The Role of the United Nations and African Union in Promoting International Peace and Security: A Liberal Perspective

Which theory of IR would explain the role and aspiration of the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU) in promoting peace and security in Africa? Although this question is difficult to answer and no Introduction single theory can fully capture the complexities surrounding the issue, this article contends that liberal ideas have profoundly influenced the creation of the UN and the AU and their roles in international and regional peace and security. To that purpose, this article adopts a qualitative critical literature review method in which thematically and contextually analyzed material illustrates how liberalism molded the premise and goals of the UN and AU to promote peace and security in Africa. This is tied to UN-led global action, which, when paired with the AU's considerable continental role, illustrates liberalism's impact on their foundation and aspiration, allowing them to cooperate. However, there is a disputed link between the Constitutive Act of the AU and the rulesbased structure of the UN Charter, which poses special operational challenges due to the global power rivalry regime found not only in the implementation or operationalization of specific policies but also in their design. Despite this, liberalism provides the AU and the UN with an opportunity to invest in progressive cooperation to achieve their respective and joint aspirations, such as the AU Agenda 2063 and the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which desire a mutual determination for the improvements in human security under a deepened and strong multilateralism context