Criminality and Framing in UN Peacekeeping: Insights from Stabilization Missions in Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mali (2004-2023)

Abstract

The ineffectiveness of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions in addressing organized crime has been a focal point of scholarly criticism. Central to this critique is the argument that the labeling of criminal phenomena significantly influences the prescribed policy responses. Despite these assertions, there is a notable lack of empirical research investigating the impact of problem labeling on the framing of solutions. This thesis addresses this gap by developing theory inductively through a multiple case study approach that consists of three separate qualitative code-based thematic document analyses of the UN Security Council resolutions that alter the mandates of the stabilization missions deployed in Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mali from 2004 to 2023. By seeking emergent patterns across the three cases, the work uncovered a novel analytical framework for understanding the relationship between problem framing and solution framing. This thesis identifies a correlative relationship between the two, suggesting that fragmented problem framing, which splits complex issues into discrete, disconnected components, is correlated with fragmented solution framing, which in turn fails to address the multifaceted and complex nature of criminal threats. This framework places both types of framing on a spectrum from fragmented to holistic, observed within the three contexts under study. The significance of these findings lies in their potential to enhance the efficacy of UN peacekeeping missions’ approach to criminality in its sites of intervention.