Pakistan's Foreign Policy Objectives for Troops Contribution to Peace Operations

Abstract

Peacekeeping by the UN is a role held by the Department of Peace Operations as "a unique and dynamic instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace. Pakistan is amongst the leading contributors in the world and has played an important role in peacekeeping missions in it's over fifty-year long peacekeeping activism. This study explores what makes Pakistan a preferred peacekeeping contributor as compared to other nations. The thesis also highlights various challenges that are being faced by Pakistan in contributing troops for peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions. Since the option of contribution lies with the member states therefore there must be compelling reasons for it. This study will be focused on the factors that motivate Pakistan for such a large number of troops contribution towards UN peacekeeping operations. Hans Morgenthau's principle of National interest is considered to be the basis of support for this study. The study aims to find out Pakistan's objectives for maintaining its top troop contributing status at UN Peacekeeping and the outcomes from such effort despite having requirement of troops at home for traditional external and internal security duties. This study intends to fill the long-existed gap in literature on Pakistan's foreign policy objectives with respect to troop contribution for UN peacekeeping. It will establish a scholarship on Pakistan's motivation and rationale for peacekeeping as well as increase academic understanding on the country's troop contribution. The study limits itself to Pakistan's security, economic, political and strategic challenges. The study used Morgenthau's principle of national interests as conceptual/ theoretical framework. The primary and secondary data was analyzed through content analysis methodology and record analysis technique to understand Pakistan's foreign policy objectives with respect to its troop contribution to UN peacekeeping. A comparative analysis technique was used to understand Pakistan's motivation for troop contribution. The primary foreign policy objectives of Pakistan to safeguard the national security, its economic interests abroad and to project its peace-loving image to the world are aligned with its troop contribution to UN. Pakistan's troop contribution decisions are motivated by its political, economic, security and institutional interests. Pakistan's comparison with other contributors, show that the country enjoys a unique position among the top-ranked contributors.