VIEWS AND PERCEPTIONS THAT BARE A RESPONSIBILITY An analysis of the views and perceptions of two UN Secretary-Generals on the causes and challenges of the Mali conflict since 2013

Abstract

At its core, this research is partly an attempt at unveiling the influence Secretary-Generals have on UN peacekeeping missions. The basis of argumentation hereof constitutes the influence that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Guterres have had on the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali: MINUSMA. With Mali being the case study at hand this thesis also strived to provide an in depth analysis of the views and perceptions of both Secretary-Generals on the causes and challenges of the Mali conflict. These views and perceptions are subsequently categorized into the following categories: political, economic, cultural and social. Following a process-tracing based methodological approach the principal conclusion arrived at is that Secretary-General Guterres saw the conflict through more of a variety of disciplinary lenses than Ban Ki-moon did. Where Ban Ki-moon mainly focalized on the political and economic aspects of the conflict, Guterres brought to the fore the importance of addressing root causes, grievances and other cultural and social aspects not mentioned by Ban Ki-moon