In: Multilateralism in Action

Recent headlines coming out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have focused on fighting in the east of the country and the fall of the key cities of Goma and Bukavu to the Rwanda-supported M23 rebel group. However, over the past several months, there have been a series of other concerning developments in the country. In particular, the president, Félix Tshisekedi, has called into question the continued relevance of the constitution, suggesting that he may attempt to amend it in order to remove presidential term limits and remain in power. For a country that has struggled to make a transition from the dictatorial era of its long-time president Mobutu Sese Seko to democratic governance and that has a seen the presence of a UN peacekeeping operation since 1999, this turn of events raises an important question: do United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations sometimes contribute to authoritarian forms of governance, despite the UN’s own stated aim of promoting democratization?

Read the whole article here.