Bangladesh and UN Peacekeeping: The Participation of a 'Small' State

Abstract

United Nations peacekeeping is a major avenue through which 'small' states participate in and contribute to the maintenance of global peace and security. Bangladesh is no exception to this. Although a variety of domestic issues such as weak political structures and economic pressures continue to pose critical challenges to Bangladesh, they have not deterred the nation from fulfilling its global responsibilities. The strength of Bangladesh's commitment to peacekeeping can be seen in its readiness to make large, varied and sizeable troop commitments. However, Bangladesh's 'staying power' in terms of its ability to sustain the commitment in complex and dangerous mission areas has varied across UN peacekeeping operations. While Bangladesh continues to participate actively in UN peacekeeping with a view to enhancing global image, as part of its strategy for attracting greater economic assistance and foreign investment, it is confronted by critical challenges that significantly hamper its ability to perform in UN pace operations.