Vincent Tadday

 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences | Bachelor Global Studies 

"Sellout of Peacekeeping? Investigating the Effects of the Evolution of UN Policies on the Use of Private Security Companies in MONUSCO"

Vincent's elevator pitch
"How do the United Nations regulations on using Private Security Companies (PSCs) in peacekeeping missions affect peacekeepers "on the ground"? I answered this question through process tracing and a closer investigation of MONUSCO, the UN organization's stabilization mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Through my thesis, I was able to clarify the dynamics between the late 1990s and early 2000s peacekeeping reforms and the increased use of PSCs in UN peacekeeping missions. Key findings of my thesis revealed a relationship between the evolution of UN policies on using PSCs and the practice of bunkerization, whereby peacekeepers increasingly retreat to fortified positions. A practice that, following my analysis, played a role in the local population losing trust in the peacekeepers on site."