Blue helmet bureaucrats: United Nations peacekeeping and the reinvention of colonialism, 1945–1971.

Margot Tudor's book provides a history of UN peacekeeping efforts from the second half of the twentieth century, highlighting the UN's role as an actor in its own right. Tudor argues that UN peacekeeping missions were largely ideological, colonial, racist, hierarchical, and self-serving. These missions often destabilized societies and perpetuated violence, acting as a vehicle for wealthy and powerful western states to wage the Cold War and reinvent colonialism. The book covers case-studies from different continents, including the Arab-Israeli War, the Korean War, UN operations in the Congo, and the United Nations Force in Cyprus. While the book focuses on the actions of mid-level UN bureaucrats, it also discusses the role of senior officials. Tudor's work is critical of the UN's actions, with a focus on the Indigenous Peoples who often suffered as a result of UN peacekeeping missions and colonial regimes. The book offers new approaches for understanding the Cold War, decolonization, and multilateral institutions, making it a valuable resource for those interested in the shortcomings of the UN and the broader international system. [Extracted from the article]