Stability and Stability Operations: Definitions, Drivers, Approaches†

The notion of ‘stability’ and the practice of ‘stability operations’ experienced a revival in the last decade. The paper shows how different actors (UN, NATO, US and European countries) have been using the concept ‘stability’ in their recent doctrines. It then shows how as a multi-faceted notion stability can benefit from methodological pluralism, how actors adopt different and even conflicting meanings across a range of different cases and stability operations seem to carry troubling political and normative implications. In sum, this introductory essay specifies how the present collection contributes to the literature and the ongoing policy debate by dissecting the notions of stability and stability operations.