Abstract This study examines how operational engagement by the Permanent Five (P5) members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council influences peacekeeping effectiveness through troop contributions, foreign aid, and diplomatic leadership roles. While P5 nations contribute relatively few troops to the UN peacekeeping operations, this research investigates whether their limited but qualitatively distinct involvement generates disproportionate effects on mission outcomes. This study argues that P5 engagement enhances mission effectiveness through multiple complementary mechanisms: credible signaling of international commitment, provision of superior operational capabilities, and leveraging of institutional authority within multilateral frameworks. Using data from UN peacekeeping operations between 1990 and 2017, this study analyzes how different forms of P5 involvement affect civilian casualties and conflict duration through selection correction models and survival analysis. The findings reveal crucial heterogeneity: Western P5 engagement (US, UK, and France) significantly reduces civilian casualties and shortens conflict duration across all forms of involvement, while Russian and Chinese contributions in isolation show no statistically significant operational impact despite identical institutional authority. This study advances peacekeeping scholarship by revealing how institutional position combines with operational capabilities to influence multilateral security governance, offering insights into the complex interplay between power politics and international organizations with implications for global security and conflict resolution.
Bulbul Ahmed (Mon,) studied this question.