Description
How do peacekeepers persuade national militaries at war with each other to negotiate? The Tripartite Meetings are an invention of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). They are managed by UNIFIL and take place on the Blue Line, the line of withdrawal that separates Lebanon and Israel, two states that remain technically at war. Established at the end of the Israel-Hizballah War of 2006, the Tripartite Meetings have occurred between representatives from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) on a bi-monthly basis ever since. The meetings discuss security incidents on the Blue Line with the aim of preventing escalation and extended military confrontations. Despite increased security challenges, the meetings have continued with no walk-outs or suspensions, and they have been recognized by successive UN Secretary Generals as comprising an innovative and critical contribution to local peace. Using abductive reasoning this paper interrogates the meaning-making process of UNIFIL staff hosting and managing the Tripartite Meetings. Drawing on repeated interviews with UNIFIL staff past and present, this paper examines the strategies employed by the mission to maintain the functioning of the meetings and explores peacekeeper interpretations of success and failure within the context of the meetings. This article contributes to the literature on how peacekeepers make sense of their actions which is a critical element in understanding how peacekeeping works.
