Promotion of Democracy: A Comparison Between UN Special Political Mission in Libya and Peacekeeping in Mali

Abstract: In this thesis, I have conducted a descriptive, comparative study to highlight the differences between the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali and the special political mission (SPM) in Libya, with regards to the promotion of democratic development and direct support to facilitate such development. My study will show that even though the ambitions and the nature of the support is almost identical, the UN expectations are set too high. Even though they see the difficulties in (re)establishing peace and democracy in states ridden by conflict, they often rely on the “good will” of actors involved, be it transitional government, political parties or armed groups. Though this study might not generate a result that can be used to generalize within the field of study - mostly since cases are often unique - it can further our understanding of UN mentality regarding the ambitions, hopes and expectations of UN peace mission strategies. Originally created to uphold peace and security, the UN have perhaps gotten lost in the idea that peace and democracy has to be created side by side, therefore undermining their original ambition.