The brutal face of peacekeeping

What are the power dynamics between peacekeepers from various cultural backgrounds sent to a conflict zone, and the locals they are supposed to protect?

Peacekeeping is one of the main functions of the United Nations, an intergovernmental organisation that was created to maintain international peace and security and to develop friendly relations among nations. The UN peacekeepers are civilian, military and police personnel drawn from member nations. Their stated mandate is to protect the most vulnerable while providing support to countries transitioning from conflict to peace.

Since peace is not simply the absence of war, and conflict cannot be reduced to its most visible manifestations in the form of physical violence, the transition is difficult to define. Peacekeepers have been deployed to perform a