Abstract
The use of child soldiers in conflicts has received increasing academic attention in recent years. This article examines post-conflict periods to see whether the use of child soldiers mobilizes United Nations peacekeeping operations (UN PKO) in the aftermath of a conflict. Taking into consideration how child soldiers affect conflict and how important their reintegration is to sustainable peace and post-conflict development, we analyse whether the presence of child soldiers in a civil war increases the likelihood of the presence of a PKO. We argue that the UN deems a conflict with child soldiers as a difficult case for conflict resolution, necessitating a response from the international community. This is in line with our empirical results confirming that the use of child soldiers significantly increases the likelihood of peacekeeping.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 540-567 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| Journal | International Peacekeeping |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 26 Apr 2016 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 7 Aug 2016 |