United Nations peacekeeping Operations

Introduction

The United Nations (UN) peacekeeping is necessary because nations are occasionally not capable to resolve their tribulations on their own, and they require external assistance (Bowles 204 p.).

The United Nations is an international organization which allows other countries around the world cooperate in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achieving world peace. The UN was formed in 1945 after World War II to stop wars between countries and to provide a platform for dialogue (Barnett 215 p.). There are currently 192 member states; every of them are an independent state recognized in the world.

Peacekeeping & The United Nations

The UN performs a vast array of duties that affect us all in numerous ways. In a world plagued by conflict, the UN permits instant consultations among governments and provides the forum for dealing with long-term problems. The UN is a catalyst for action on major global issues, such as the environment and illicit drugs, and provides the best mechanism available to mobilize and sustain international cooperation to tackle these issues. The UN and its agencies help build economies and stabilize financial markets (Allard 113p.). They help prevent disease, expand food production and increase longevity. They protect refugees, deliver food aid and respond quickly to natural disasters. The UN and its agencies protect vulnerable groups, like children, refugees, displaced persons, minorities, indigenous people and the disabled. The UN and its agencies provide the machinery for setting technical and legal standards in vital areas of global interaction, from air safety standards to human rights. Although The UN can carry on a lot of duties, it is not a world government. It has no standing army, no military assets. It is not an international police force. As an organization of sovereign and independent States, it does only what Member States have agreed it can do. It is their instrument. The effectiveness of this instrument depends on the political will of its Member States, which decide if, when and how the UN takes action to end conflicts.

The African country of Somalia is a place of great suffering. There is famine, war, and all the crimes that go along with this country. After years as Italian and British colonies, Somalia gained its independence in 1960. Siad Barre assumed control of the country in a dictatorship (Algayed 239p.). Aideed spent the late 1960s and early 1970s in prison for planning a coup against Barre. By 1990, Barre's dictatorship had crumbled, and he was deposed. Aideed became a prominent leader of the United Somali Congress (USC), one of the rebelling factions. USC Somalian ex-patriots in Italy then proclaimed Ali Mahdi President of the Republic of Somalia, a claim recognized by very few inside the country. In June 1991, Aideed was elected chairman of the United Somali Congress by a two-thirds vote, but Ali Mahdi refused to step down as President. By October 1991, Ali Mahdi had formed a government of eight ministers, and the Italian government promised massive financial ...