Public security and peace building operations in post-armed conflict periods

Abstract

The article shows how contemporary peace operations conducted bythe United Nations (UN) to manage and/or resolve armed conflicts have dealt withthe issue of public security. As part of the effort to establish a lasting peace in theseterritories, the activities of the Organization include the security sector reform andthe structuring of a democratic police force as part of a broader process of peacebuilding. Based on specialized literature on the subject, UN documents and personalobservations, the article focuses on the concepts of UN peace keeping operations,the ideas that guide the construction of a democratic police, their purposes in thecontext of public security in post-armed conflict periods, the activities performed toachieve this objective and the problems faced by the UN.