This book offers a comprehensive reworking of the author's The United Nations and the Maintenance of International Peace and Security, which was published in 1990, prior to the dramatic expansion of the UN's peacekeeping operations. Retitled and completely rewritten in the light of post-Cold War events, Keeping the Peace now provides a legal and political analysis of the powers and practice of the UN in the fields of peace and security. The author covers the role of the Security Council, the General Assembly and the peacekeeping forces authorized by the UN. Events surrounding the Gulf War of 1991 and its aftermath are central to his analysis, which considers political, constitutional and legal factors affecting UN policy and its efficacy. He also examines the potential re-orientation of the UN's security role under General Secretary Boutros Boutros Ghali, and provides an assessment of the evolution of UN practice.