Preventive deployment and early warning in the UN's agendathe West African region as a scenario for international security

Resumen

The contemporary international system defined by an array of risks that are globalized among people and countries has led the United Nations (UN) to adapt its policies and transform its peacekeeping operations. The agenda of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) echoes two growing trends in recent years: regionalization of security and confict prevention, where early warning mechanisms play a crucial, yet insufficiently explored, role. This chapter emphasizes the potential of early warning mechanisms as an essential tool for future peacekeeping operations. The purpose is: (1) to identify the peacekeeeping's challenges in managing cross-border threats in the West African region; (2) to explain how early warning works and to present the potentiality of early warning mechanisms, within prevention policies, for peacekeeping; (3) and to propose an UN-ECOWAS partnership (global-regional partnership) in prevention and early warning for future peacekeeping scenarios.