Description
The United Nations Security Council is infamous for its rigid institutional structure. Yet, as Pouliot (2021) has suggested, paying attention to practices presents a ‘gray area of institutional change’ in the Council’s work. Employing such theoretical insights into the UN, presented by scholars such as Pouliot (2021) and Wiseman (2015), the proposed paper explores evolving opportunities for India to shape the policies and practices of the UN Security Council. The thematic area of peacekeeping serves as a valuable case study, as India’s contributions to UN peace operations are well-documented.
The proposed paper is divided into three parts. First, it presents a critical review of Indian interventions on peacekeeping in the Security Council. Second, it sets out the conceptual framework of the paper by highlighting the scope for institutional transformations that have emerged in the realm of the Council’s practices. Third, the paper assesses whether, and the extent to which, India has been able to leverage these opportunities vis-à-vis peacekeeping.
In December 2022, India will complete its eighth term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. The theme of its campaign for this seat was ‘NORMS: new orientation for a reformed multilateral system.’ The end of India’s term on the Council presents an opportune moment to examine, using the case of its engagement with policy deliberations on UN peace operations, an alternative approach to Security Council reform.
