Author: Nina Wilén, Associate Professor, Lund University

Since 1948, more than two million uniformed peacekeepers have served in over 70 United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions. They have come from over 120 UN member states. But, a few countries have regularly contributed a significant proportion of their troops. They have also made peacekeeping a foreign policy priority, and adapted their armed forces to fit UN requirements. These states have developed what we call “peacekeeping armies”. Since the end of the Cold War, the vast majority of these peacekeepers have been deployed in Africa. Many of them by African countries. Today, 11 of the top 20 countries that contribute…