International Peacekeeping (Perspectives on Security)

Since the end of the Cold War, US officials have been more willing to remind allies that the US will not play the role of international policeman. Given US reluctance, the job of peacekeeping will fall increasingly to international organizations and regional alliances. In this book, Diehl examines the recent record of United Nations peacekeeping forces and develops criteria for assessing their operations. His analysis aims to provide useful guidance for the management of new hostilities in areas such as Central and Eastern Europe, where the dissolution of the Soviet Union has spawned bitter civil wars and dangerous border disputes. Diehl identifies three sets of factors that affect traditional international peacekeeping operations. He begins by discussing the practical concerns of peacekeeping efforts, such as force composition, organization and deployment. He then examines issues related to the political and military context in which the forces are deployed, including the nature of the conflict and the involvement of third parties. Finally, he considers the authorization by the relevant international body - usually the UN - as it relates to the mission's mandate, policies and financing. He concludes by analyzing the viability of new roles for UN peacekeeping troops, such as humanitarian assistance, and by exploring structural alternatives to UN peacekeeping operations. This paperback edition includes a new epilogue which examines peacekeeping operations in Bosnia, Somalia and Cambodia.