“More than
ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only
if we face it together.”
From its
inception following the devastation of the two world wars, the United Nations
became the primary organization responsible for preserving international peace
and security while encouraging constructive dialogue to avoid war. One of the
principal tools through which the UN has sought to “keep the peace” is the international
peacekeeping operation. Currently, the UN leads 16 peacekeeping missions with
over 116,000 uniformed and civilian personnel on four different continents.
However, the efforts of this international body continue to be hindered by the
lack of military support from western developed nations, including the US.
In order to
ensure that the United Nations possesses the capabilities necessary to respond
to current and future crises, it is critical that the US deploy its high value
military assets to provide support for international peacekeeping. For the
world community, conflict-torn regions, and the United States, the potential
benefits are vast. The increased military contributions of a world power such
as the United States would immediately boost the legitimacy of the UN’s
peacekeeping missions. Many of the current national troops originate from
developing countries, and it is likely that provision of the US’s specialized
military capacities and technology would allow for more effective operations
tailored to the conditions in a particular conflict region. With such improved
technological access and increasing peacekeeper efficiency, scholars have
predicted that more developed nations are likely to increase their military
support for the UN, liberating the organization from its current challenge of
encouraging richer nations to contribute what is desperately needed in
peacekeeping missions, instead of what countries “feel” is necessary. Finally,
by expanding the number of highly-trained military personnel in the UN
Peacekeeping Forces, the US can bolster the accountability of peacekeepers
around the world. For several decades, the reputation of peacekeeping forces
has been marred by frequent reports of sexual and behavioral misconduct among UN
troops, many of whom remain in the UN Command, unpunished, due to the desperate
need for troops in peace operations. Greater US involvement in peacekeeping
will therefore place more pressure on troop contributing countries to recall
any of their own offending soldiers, and institute stricter criteria for
potential peacekeepers.
Yet the
major question remains as to how the US and other developed nations might be
encouraged to expand their military contributions to the UN Peacekeeping
Forces. The stunning tragedy at Mogadishu, Somalia, in which the corpses of 18
American peacekeepers were dragged through the streets, (an incident forever
captured by the movie Black Hawk Down)
remains fresh in the consciousness of American leaders. If the UN truly desires
increased support from the US, it will have to establish more efficient exit
strategies and communication channels with peacekeeping missions. It will also
have to limit its involvement to regions in which a peace accord has been
reached, providing an added level of security for troops and ensuring that the
UN peacekeepers will be able to serve as a non-aggressive peacekeeping force.
Until these
steps have been fulfilled, it will be our role, as students in the US, to
remain conscious of the issue and remind national leaders that the US must
continue to strive to build peace, defend peace, and keep the peace that exists
around the world.
