What are the internal and external factors which have caused so many African states to 'fail' and 'collapse'? How have developments in the broader international system affected conflicts in Africa? What determines 'success' and 'failure' in African peacekeeping? This comprehensive analysis of all UN peacekeeping in Africa combines broad theoretical ideas with careful historical narrative. The book explores the entirety of United Nations military intervention in Africa since its beginnings in the Congo in 1960 to the new operations of the twenty-first century. Describing the peacekeeping project on a region-by-region basis, Norrie Macqueen highlights throughout comparisons and contrasts within and between each part of Africa, and asks has it all been worthwhile? -- Publisher derscription.