Frederik Schissler

The United Nations was long regarded as a key player in the resolution of international conflicts. It has sent Blue Helmets to conflict zones, helped to rebuild post-conflict societies, and negotiated peace agreements. However, amid the current crisis of multi­lateralism, the United Nations' role as a mediator and conflict manager is being increasingly challenged by other actors. New mediators in international conflicts have emerged, such as Qatar and Turkey. In discussing a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, the United Nations is not considered a possible partner. This raises the question: What will the United Nations' future role be in managing international conflicts? This dissertation project addresses this question.

Using role theory, it examines the expectations that states, other international and regional organisations, civil society actors, and the UN bureaucracy have of the organisation's future role. It also studies how the UN Secretariat manages these increasingly divergent expectations about the UN's future role in the international system. The project analyses statements, papers, and meeting protocols drafted for reviews and the current UN80 reform process. This document analysis is supplemented by interviews. Theoretically, the project develops the application of role theory, which has mainly been used to study states, to International Organisations. The dissertation project is part of the UNPAC – Research Group on United Nations Peace­keeping and Conflict Management.