ClassNotes

Class # 7: Peace and Security: Developments in the Peacekeeping Function

Introduction:
The UN rests on 2 pillars: peace and security and economic and social development
As the number of peacekeeping missions rise and the budget continues to increase there is concern in the UN community that peace and security is becoming the dominant pillar. However, at the same time, peace and security is facing numerous challenges. The growth in the number of ethnic and national conflicts since the end of the Cold War has led to numerous questions. What are the objectives of peacekeeping missions? Have they overstepped their bounds? Where will the additional resources that are needed come from? Will increased regionalization of peacekeeping operations continue? And if so, what does this mean for the future of the UN?

Lecture:
Under Secretary General of Peace Keeping, Ambassador Jean Marie Geheno:
Consequences of the end of the Cold War:
The Cold War was a magnet that structured the world. The international community was divided into a bi-polar system, with states receiving assistance from the two superpowers, the US and USSR. The end of the Cold War changed the structure of the international system and thus had a profound effect on numerous states. During the Cold War every state was important for political, military or strategic reasons. With the end of the Cold War, this importance diminished and states were left without the support or interest of either superpower. Loss of economic and political support was good and bad for these states. It was positive in the respect that they needed to become self-sufficient. It was negative because these states had been held together through out the Cold War and were now quickly falling apart. Many thought that with the end of the Cold War, political battles were in the past and future problems would be of a managerial nature only. This apolitical view is drastically wrong.

Peacekeeping after the Cold War:
Before the recent surge in conflict, peacekeeping operations were drastically different. Often, peacekeeping was about placing observers between two sides and establishing order. In the 1990s peacekeeping faced warring parties and the disintegration of states. This has made the deployment and success of peacekeeping missions even more difficult.
Issues Plaguing Peacekeeping Operations:
1. Legitimacy
Legitimacy within a state and for the UN is fundamental for the success of any peacekeeping mission. Legitimacy becomes more important as the missions evolved from monitoring borders to running a country or supporting a weak government. Law and order implemented by the UN needs to be a reflection of national laws or beliefs and accepted by the citizens of that country. Without this, the UN mission lacks the legitimacy to succeed.
2. Commitment
A major problem facing peacekeeping missions today is the reluctance of a number of countries to commit themselves financially and personally to the missions. The vast majority of peacekeeping forces come from the South while only tiny fraction come from the North. Countries of the South are providing the risk while countries of the north are providing the financing. This division of labor is not sustainable in the long term.
Peacekeeping Operations and Peacebuilding:
In the post-Cold War world, peacekeeping is not enough to prevent the outbreak of conflict and terrorism. Stability is the only way to peace and this can be achieved through UN support of weak governments and other peacebuilding activities. Where there are numerous weak states and no accountability, terrorism and conflict are bound to prevail. If situations are allowed to fester they could easily spillover into other countries and result in regional instability. This would be harmful from a regional as well as a global point of view.

For peacekeeping to succeed, the UN must look at the process as a whole, not just in military components. Economic and social development is key to the success of peacekeeping missions and international security. An example of the importance of development and peacebuilding is the current UN mission in Timor. The mission is led by a Brazilian, which shows global involvement rather than a regional bias. While the security component of the mission is strong, there are various other elements involved. The UN is focusing on a wide range of government services, establishing a criminal procedure and judiciary system and creating a viable economic base.

Conclusion:
Ambassador Geheno makes it clear that UN Peacekeeping is facing a serious challenge. Never before has it been needed so badly and never before has it had such a lack of legitimacy, commitment and resources. The Peacekeeping Office (PKO) is unequipped to handle all aspects of peacekeeping missions that have become commonplace since the end of the Cold War. In the past, missions were used to separate two parties or monitor borders. Now, there are various aspects of a mission, ranging from military concerns to the political and economic spheres. In this respect, the UN PKO needs help. To ensure the success of future peacekeeping missions, legitimacy to the UN missions must be restored. The developed world must increase its commitment through the contribution of money and personnel. Also, the resources of the second pillar within the UN, economic and social development, must be fully utilized.

Questions and Answers:
1. George W. Bush has stated that if he wins the Presidency, he will remove US troops from Kosovo and decrease the number of peacekeeping missions the US is involved in. What are the consequences of this for the UN?
If GWB were to make good on this statement it would encourage the European Union (EU) to move forward with a European defense force. For some time there has been a movement in this direction due to the perceived imbalance between European economic power and its military power.

2. Is the primary task of the UN peacekeeping or is there another assumption within the PKO and the organization in general?
The overemphasis on peacekeeping is a result of the non-political view of the world. Resolving conflicts is not just an instance of bringing in policeman and then everything will be fine. Things are much more complex than this. Peacekeeping needs to be a part of a much broader goal and development is key.

3. Why are their peacekeeping mission in certain countries and not others? For example there is a mission in Timor but not in Chechnya – Why?
One reason is that Timor is a special case because of the sovereignty issue. An additional reason for this specific example is due to the veto power held by Russia. Assuming that the UN should be equally involved in all conflicts assumes that the UN operates in a non-political world, which is not the case. Just because the UN can not be involved in every conflict does not mean that the UN should not be involved anywhere. This is a problem that is tied to the bureaucratic nature of the UN and the lack of available resources. The PKO may not have the resources to produce a large mission, however it may have the resources to send a few officials or troops into a country and at least prevent a few deaths. Should the UN do nothing because it can not do everything?

4. If the PKO is already having legitimacy problems how does it successfully sell new missions to the major powers?
The major powers can not have it both ways, they can not say that they don’t want to be involved in situations and don’t want to give money to the UN. It is more acceptable and more successful to have multilateral missions than unilateral ones, which can create hostility and resentment.

5. How are the Peacekeeping Operations selected? For example why did the PKO go into Somalia and not Burma which would have been an easier mission?
Peacekeeping operations are not decided in a non-political world. The PKO office reports to the Security Council where there are many political issues.

6. Will peacebuilding be located under the PKO or is this part of the economic and social development pillar of the UN?
For the legitimacy of the UN, peacekeeping needs to be successful. Peacebuilding should not be part of peacekeeping. A broader approach is needed and therefore the resources of the entire UN should be drawn on.

7. When Peacekeeping forces go into a country is there a specific mission? Do countries receiving these missions have any influence in what is done?
The Security Council Resolution defines what needs to be done and what will be done. Peacekeeping missions are traditionally done with the consent of the parties.