THE DUAL NATURE OF PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS: CHALLENGES OF ADAPTATION AMONG MONGOLIAN MILITARY PERSONNEL
Abstract
The United Nations (hereinafter referred to as the UN) has continuously deployed over 90,000 military personnel from multiple nations-collectively known as the “Blue Helmets”-to participate in peacekeeping operations with high levels of organization and coordination. These operations have become one of the UN's most effective tools in assisting host nations through the difficult transition from conflict to peace. For Mongolia, participation in peace support operations holds growing importance, and various measures have been taken to expand cooperation and engagement in the defense sector. This study employed quantitative survey methodology and consolidates findings from questionnaires distributed to peacekeeping personnel, their families, and the general public. Results show that participation in peace operations leads to increased income and helps resolve certain social issues for the personnel; however, adverse effects on physical and mental health are also evident. This research contributes to understanding the socio-economic and health-related challenges faced by military personnel in peacekeeping operations and identifies the influencing factors behind them.
References
Bordachev, T. V. Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Intervention and Its Role in Maintaining Global and Regional Security: Modern Theories and Practical Experience. 1998. https://www.dissercat.com/content/mirotvorcheskaya-i-gumanitarnaya-interventsiya-i-ee-mesto-v-podderzhanii-globalnoi-i-regiona.
Davis, Lynn E. Peacekeeping and Peacemaking after the Cold War. XIII Rand Summer Institute, 1993. https://pitt.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma9913242593406236.
Oprins, Esther A. P. B., Karel van den Bosch, and W. van Venrooij. “Measuring Adaptability Demands of Jobs and the Adaptability of Military and Civilians.” Military Psychology, vol. 30, no. 2, 2018, pp. 109–123.
Frydenberg, P. Peacekeeping Experience and Evaluation: The Oslo Papers. Oslo, 1964.
Ghali, Boutros B. An Agenda for Peace: Preventive Diplomacy, Peacemaking and Peacekeeping. United Nations, 31 Jan. 1992. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/145749?v=pdf.
Pulakos, Elaine D. “Adaptability in the Workplace: Development of a Taxonomy of Adaptive Performance.” Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 85, no. 4, 2000, pp. 612–624.
Pulakos, Elaine D., et al. “Predicting Adaptive Performance: Further Tests of a Model of Adaptability.” Human Performance, vol. 15, no. 4, 2002, pp. 299–323.
Betts, Richard K. “The Delusion of Impartial Intervention.” Foreign Affairs, vol. 73, no. 6, 1994, pp. 20–33. https://www.rochelleterman.com/ir/sites/default/files/betts%201994.pdf.
Ritzer, George. Sociological Theory. 4th ed., McGraw-Hill, 1996.
Collmer, Sabina. “Between Alliance and Home Front Considerations: The German Armed Forces and Security-Related Opinion Polls.” 2016.
United Nations Peacekeeping. “What Is Peacekeeping? Military.” United Nations Peacekeeping, 20 Mar. 2016. https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/military.
Zhang, Wenmo, et al. “Military Career Adaptability Questionnaire in China: Development and Validation.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 11, 2020, Article 918.
Azyavin, R. N. The Peacekeeping Process in Contemporary Conditions: A Sociological Analysis. Krasnodar University, 2011. https://www.dissercat.com/content/protsess-mirotvorchestva-v-usloviyakh-sovremennosti/read.
Batyuk, V. I. “UN Peacekeeping Activities and the Great Powers.” USA: Economy, Politics, Ideology, no. 12, 1996.
Vorobyov, I. M. “Peacekeeping Operations.” Military Thought, no. 5, 1994, pp. 72–73. https://militaryarticle.vibrokatok.by/voennaya-mysl/1994-vm/8644-mirotvorcheskie-operacii.
Gandorj, Ts. State Policy and Implementation Mechanisms for Military Participation in Peacekeeping Operations. Doctoral dissertation, 2017, p. 123.
Anar, O. International Peacekeeping Operations and Mongolia. Ulaanbaatar, 2008, p. 126.
Mönkhbat, O. Theories of Sociology. National University of Mongolia Press, 2008.
Amarjargal, T. Technology of Social Work. 2003.
Toropygin, A. V. Peacekeeping Activities of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS Member States. Moscow, 2000, p. 20.
Uyanga, P. Participation of Border Protection Military Personnel in Peacekeeping Operations. Ulaanbaatar, 2019.
Erdenechuluun, Ch. Social Issues of Military Labor and Ways to Solve Them. Ulaanbaatar, 1998.
Views:
17
Downloads:
7
Copyright (c) 2025 Nergui Bayartogtokh, Batbaatar Monkhooroi, Oyuntsetseg Densmaa, G. Oyuntuya, Uranchimeg Tumurbat
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles are published in open-access and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Hence, authors retain copyright to the content of the articles.
CC BY 4.0 License allows content to be copied, adapted, displayed, distributed, re-published or otherwise re-used for any purpose including for adaptation and commercial use provided the content is attributed.
