Decorating the “Christmas Tree”

Abstract Contemporary peacekeeping operations carry out many disparate tasks, which has triggered a debate about “Christmas Tree mandates.” Did the UN Secretariat or Security Council drive this expansion? Using original data on nineteen missions, 1998–2014, article compares tasks recommended by to those mandated Council. It finds that two bodies expressed different preferences regarding nature, number, and novelty of tasks. First, dropped Secretariat-recommended as often it added new ones its own initiative. Second, disagreed more over peacebuilding peacemaking than Third, preferred be one introduce novel had not appeared in previous mandates. Finally, among countries “held pen” resolutions, United States was most prone dropping Secretariat-proposed least willing add itself.