Under Peace Operations Histories, IPI will produce narrative histories of select major UN operations. The books will offer accessible, engaging accounts focused on the key strategic decisions of each operation. The aim of this approach is to provide detailed awareness of the context of UN decisionmaking, so as to provide lessons that have real potential to impact future operations.

The histories will be produced by independent outside observers while also aiming to tell the ‘inside’ story from the UN’s perspective. The UN Departments of Political Affairs and Peacekeeping Operations have agreed to open their files and facilitate interviews. Four features of the histories will differentiate them from other studies of peace operations on the market:

    * They will be explicitly organized around the key strategic decisions relevant to the mission in question;

    * They will tell the ‘inside’ story, with independent authors benefiting from full access to the internal files of the UN;

    * They will be written as engaging and accessible narratives;

    * They will be linked to reference material online, such as relevant speeches, reports, and UN Security Council resolutions.

Peacekeeping in Sierra Leone: The Story of UNAMSIL, authored by Dr. ‘Funmi Olonisakin, is the first study in the series and was published in November 2007. Additional studies on the 1960s UN mission in the Congo (ONUC) and the 1990s mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA) are also under development for 2008-2009.

• Peacekeeping in Sierra Leone: The Story of UNAMSIL