The Security Council Diplomacy and the Strengthened UNIFIL, 2006

ABSTRACT This article is a deep dive into those factors in one specific case: The decision to reinforce the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) after the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. This case is a particularly useful case-study of the UN’s utility as a framework for peacekeeping because – as we will show – a significant number of actors involved in negotiations around the mission initially assumed that UNIFIL would not survive for long after the war. While many actors in 2006 wanted to see the end of UNFIL, preserving it proved to be the only diplomatically feasible option. Hence, this article explains why UNIFIL avoided closure, and how the issue of the host state consent progressively shaped the negotiation in and outside the Security Council chamber to find a solution to end the conflict. This case-study approach also centres the importance of diplomacy – including but not only at the UN – and of finding the right balance in negotiations to the making of peace operations.