Although the concept of credibility has been identified by the United Nations as a significant factor in successful peacekeeping operations, its role has largely been ignored in the literature on peacekeeping at the local level. In this book, Newby provides the first detailed examination of credibility's essential place in peacekeeping. With empirically rich analysis, Newby explores the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and its navigation of political tensions in one of the world's geopolitical flashpoints, a place where the mission's work is constrained by weak local legitimacy born of a complex political situation. Identifying four types of credibility-technical, material, security, and responsiveness-Newby traces the ways in which building credibility served UNIFIL and has enabled the mission to exercise its mandate despite significant challenges on the ground. Peacekeeping in South Lebanon unpacks the day-to-day business of running a peace mission and argues that credibility should be regarded as an independent construct when considering how a peacekeeping operation functions and survives.
"How does the United Nations mission in Lebanon operate on the ground? How can peacekeepers build credibility? Why does it matter? These questions are both important and under-explored. Vanessa Newby answers them through an effective blend of thought-provoking theoretical insights and engaging anecdotes."
Séverine Autesserre, author of Peaceland: Conflict Resolution
"This book has huge value in contributing to an increasingly utilized-and for me a very productive-trend connecting the local to the international by borrowing from both anthropological observations as well as more conventional IR literature."
Karim Makdisi, associate professor of political studies, American University of Beirut
"Newby provides a detailed picture of the everyday operations of possibly the most contested and dangerous peacekeeping mission on earth-UNIFIL on the Lebanon-Israel border. She shows that in a context in which its legitimacy is bitterly contested, UNIFIL relies on a carefully maintained credibility among all parties to ensure peace along that volatile border. This book is essential reading for th
