Peace Keeping Light After Dar Essay Research

Peace Keeping: Light After Dar Essay, Research Paper

PEACE KEEPING: Light after Darkness

This is a report discussing the UN’s and other countries, (including Australia) involvement in peace keeping mission through out the world and why they are controversial in today’s society. Included are my assessments on peace keeping missions past and present, also possible long-term effects and some possible solutions and recommendations.

Table Of Contents

Abstract 1.0

Introduction 2.0

Global situation 3.0

Somalia 3.1

Sierra Leone 3.2

Palestine and the Middle East 3.3

The Australian Situation 4.0

East Timor 4.1

The Cost 4.2

Our long term commitments 5.0

Conclusion 6.0

Recommendations 7.0

Bibliography 8.0

Abstract 1.0

The intent of this report is to discuss why international peace keeping missions are a controversial issue in Australia and indeed all of the other nations in the world. Background on the United Nations involvement in each of the cases is given and also background into the occurrences that created the need for peace keepers. The research I have used is obtained from various magazines and newspaper editorials as well as the U.N. web site. The issue of peace keeping is controversial because of the scale of the operations, the occurrences leading up to the event and, Australia’s current role in East Timor. It is recommend that the media continue to “hound” Nations that let the democratic process dissolve for any reason; especially where human lives are being taken.

Introduction 2.0

Civil unrest in economically poor countries is slowly increasing. This is evident in the cases examined in this report. The level of unrest is usually at different stages but occurring simultaneously in similar circumstances. Social problems arise mainly in these countries through civil unrest, (with political leaders and parties) or between ethnic groups, as the combined incidents show. However, there are often many warning signs before an uprising becomes a blood bath. New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff saw the signs and claimed that “Fiji was on the verge of civil war”(AAP 28/7/00). But the UN and other foreign countries are often unwilling to “stick their nose” into disputes where they are unwanted. In fact the UN generally has to be invited by the government of the country involved.

The countries analysed in this report will include East Timor, Palestine and the Middle East, Sierra Leone and Ireland. These countries are in different stages of conflict. Conflict in East Timor, although it has been happening for many years is still recent. The situation in Sierra Leone hasn’t changed recently. Conflicts Palestine and Ireland have been occurring for centuries. Also examined will be Somalia; which was a UN failure. In the last forty years over 1563 UN Troops, officials and aid workers have died in operations and the UN continues to spend billions of dollars every year (www.un.org/peacekeeping). Many civilian lives have been lost, as have lives from within the many factions the UN has dealt with.

Peace keeping is examined because it creates controversy, and the most controversial issue include the loss of lives, cost and refugees. Because of the awkward nature of global peace keeping in hostile regions, I will examine a few examples of peace keeping mission and also the consequences when the process fails.

Global situation 3.0

Somalia 3.1

In most of the referred cases, U.N. intervention has helped calm the situation and begin the peace process. However in Somalia the conflict between the Tutsi and Hutu’s couldn’t be resolved by the UN Peace Keeping Force. According to the U.N. website the major contributing factors were “wide-spread famine, inter-clan fighting, absence of government authority and general lawlessness” (www.un.org/peacekeeping).

Sierra Leone 3. 2

The case in Sierra Leone is different and yet similar to Somalia. The peace keepers there have been in place since 1991 and the strength in numbers was still being increased as of May 2000 (www.un.org/ peacekeeping). According to McGeary, (22/5/00). Sierra Leone “is a perfect example of everything that could go wrong in a peace keeping operation”. In Sierra Leone it appears that Foday Sankoh (the rebel leader) authorises a massacre every other year, with civilians murdered, and children raped and mutilated. The result being the U.N. running with “their tails between their legs”. Fred Ekhard, a U.N. spokesman, said after one such incident in July 1999. “The R.U.F. (Revolutionary United Front) were supposed to hand in their weapons not, turn them on us” McGeary (22/5/00). Africa is a place that the West uses to solve its conscience on the cheap. On one hand people feel a general moral “pang” when slaughters rage there. On the other the Western countries are not willing to send troops to die to stop it. Some times a third factor makes the dilemma still more complicated; A warlord with all the power and with absolutely no interest in peace. The result in Sierra Leone is an inadequate U.N. response to civil unrest and public dissatisfaction with the U.N. response to the money spent. On the other hand without the U.N. presence would the situation getting be worse. Sierra Leone highlights why peacek

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