The Paradox of Peacekeeping Missions: A search for hidden Agenda in Peacekeeping Operations
5 min readBy Stefano Wieu, Wau, South Sudan
April 23, 2016 (SSB) —- Huge presence of peacekeeping missions has never kept peace. The maxim that the United Nations Peacekeeping mission has become the largest operation in the world is something irrefutable. The mission has progressed from a simple prototype in which “blue helmets” were positioned to keep two antagonistic sides apart, to a more complex one such as policing, rule of law, human rights protection, peacebuilding, protection of civilians, demobilization, disarmament, re-integration, building strong institutional structures, conduct and monitoring of lections. The list has grown long.
Just like any other countries, the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan has undergone so many paradoxical and ambiguous mandates always adjusted as per the prevailing context for instance, protection of civilians. The massive and merciless attack on civilians in Malakal, Bor and Akobo was a clear defeat of the mandate and this poses a fundamental question, whose peace is being kept and which civilians are protected? The writer seeks to justify that the existence of so many paradoxes in the peacekeeping operations, is nothing other than a hidden agenda that betrays the peacekeeping operations as western security theory.
The paradox of troops contribution or division of labor, explains better the reality of hidden security theory. Is it still the international agenda for global peace and security or is it about keeping “our” peace and security? The United Nations Missions are brimful with forces from India, Bangladesh, Ghana, China, Mongolia, Rwanda, Uganda just to mention but few. Arturo Sotomayor in his book entitled: The Myth of the Democratic Peacekeeper: Civil Military Relations and the United Nations, affirmed this when examining countries that contribute troops and he concluded that the overwhelmingly majority of the blue helmets come from developing countries and states that are in transition but ironically the Western military conduct airstrikes such as in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Bosnia etc. under the pretext of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P).
Again, it is so paradoxical for developing countries to be entrusted with entire responsibility of protecting and promoting concept of global peace and security given their weak institutional and operational military capacities. Why providing huge funding support and equipment while on the other hand conducting airstrikes?
The list of paradoxes will never end and of course the paradox of building stable and democratic state and relapse into civil war, doesn’t need demonstration. The fundamental question would be, where are the records or statistics showing countries with peacekeeping missions that have transitioned from unstable, failed states, dictatorial regimes to true democracies, strong institutions and nationhood? Experiences have shown that several countries with peacekeeping missions continue to suffer from poor governance, instability, lack of accountability and rule of law and this can be seen in the current situation in South Sudan, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic (CAR), Burundi, Iraq etc. Peacekeeping mission has been present in South Sudan for the last 11 years and till now the international community continues to refer to South Sudan as a failed state.
This is a contradiction in terms if given the truism that peacekeepers are supposed to be deployed into failed or weak states so as to restore stability, build strong and democratic institutions. It is not South Sudan that has failed; it is the international community or the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) that has failed in achieving its mandate. The argument here is that, peacekeeping missions have never proven to install strong democratic and functional institutions as number of post-conflict countries have been characterized by conflict recurrence or return to civil wars and violence because of the ironic option that meets the foreign interest.
According to peacekeeping factsheet that listed countries with peacekeeping operation since 1948-2013, it showed that United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been there since 1978, United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has remained in Cyprus since 1964 and United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has been in Kosovo since 1999 and many others such as Peacekeeping missions in Liberia, Mali, Western Darfur region, Abyei, DRC, South Sudan etc. and indeed the phrase “the blue helmets have come to stay” bears truth. So, whose peace and security is being kept? The answer is simple, it is the security and peace of the West and the writer uses the term “West” to refer specifically to US, UK & France.
Huge presence of peacekeeping missions has never kept peace. The huge presence of United Nations Missions in South Sudan (UNMISS) has been a great disappointment if not a total failure. The relapse into war happened in the watch of international community and particularly the Mission and even after the transfiguration of the mandate to protection of civilians and after deployment of more troops, civilians continued to be targeted and even those who sought refuge in UNMISS Camps were not protected as was seen in Malakal, Akobo and Bor. Suppose, nobody sought refuge in UNMISS camps, how else would have the Mission protected civilian? I would have loved to see the effective implementation of this mandate if given the otherwise.
The Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCISS), is another repeat of the paradox plus the return of the first vice president designate, Dr. Riek Machar are enough justifications for more stay. The existence of so many paradoxes, depicts a security theory masked in Peacekeeping Missions and hence, deployment of peacekeepers that do not keep peace is simply a reappearance in former colonies in different fashions.
Stefano Wieu, is a student pursuing Master Degree in Development Studies in Uganda Christian University, Mukono-Uganda ((specializing in Conflict, Peace and Development). Can be reached at stefanwino1@gmail.com
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