Reframing United Nations Peacekeeping as Global Policing: Conceptualizing the ‘Blue Police’ Paradigm in Contemporary Security Governance

Abstract

United Nations Peacekeeping has undergone a significant transformation in response to the changing nature of contemporary conflict, shifting from traditional military-based ceasefire monitoring toward multidimensional systems of security governance. While existing literature acknowledges mandate expansion and the growing role of policing functions, it remains theoretically fragmented and lacks a unified framework to explain the structural convergence between peacekeeping and policing. This study addresses this gap by examining whether United Nations Peacekeeping is evolving into a form of global policing governance.  Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative and conceptual research design based on secondary data, including United Nations reports, UNPOL policy documents, and academic literature. A thematic analytical approach is used to examine the expansion of policing functions within peace operations and the institutional role of the UN Police in contemporary missions. The findings indicate that UN Peacekeeping has undergone a structural transformation in which policing logic has become increasingly dominant. UNPOL has emerged as a key operational actor responsible not only for supporting host-state police but also for contributing to institutional reform, governance, and population security. This reflects a broader shift toward a hybrid model of security governance combining military stabilization with policing and institutional development functions. The study concludes that contemporary United Nations Peacekeeping can be understood as an evolving system of global policing governance. The Blue Police Paradigm provides a new analytical framework for understanding this transformation and highlights important implications for mandate clarity, institutional capacity, and accountability in international peace operations.