A Peacekeeper in Africa: Learning from UN Interventions in Other People's Wars (A Project of the International Peace Institute)

Alan Doss offers a rare window into the real world of UN peacekeeping missions in Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Doss's story is one of presidents and prelates, warlords and warriors, heroes and villains, achievements and disappointments--and innocent people caught in the midst of deadly violence. As he shares his front-line experiences, he reflects on the reasons for successes and failures and on the qualities that leaders need to successfully guide efforts to rebuild peace and prosperity in devastated societies. Not least, he also considers the UN's future role in conflict prevention and peacekeeping in a climate of increasing resistance to intervention in "other people's wars." Cover 1 Series page 4 Title page 5 Copyright page 6 Dedication 7 Contents 9 Foreword--Terje Rød-Larsen 11 Acknowledgments 13 Ch1- A Journey in Peacekeeping 15 Other People’s Wars 16 A Peacekeeper’s Journey 17 Part 1--Things Fall Apart: West African Wars 19 Ch2- Sierra Leone: The Search for Peace 23 The Return 24 Enter the United Nations 27 First Steps 31 Getting to Peace 36 Bringing Back the State 47 Shadows of the Past 54 Restoring Legitimacy 58 Finding Humanitarian Space 61 Moving On 65 Ch3- Côte d’Ivoire: The War of Succession 73 A Colony Becomes a Country 73 Toward the Abyss 75 The UN Intervenes: From Observation to Operations 79 Peace Fails: The November Crisis 91 War by Other Means 99 The Illusion of Peace 104 Ch4- Liberia: From War to Peace 111 The Americo-Liberian Ascendancy 111 Liberia, the League of Nations, and Globalization 112 Fin de Regime 113 Apocalypse Now 114 Resurrection 118 From War to Peace 122 Peacebuilding, Personalities, and Persuasion 132 Securing the State 138 Securing the Future 144 Rules and Rights 150 A Last Lap 156 Getting to Growth with Development 157 Pulling Out 161 Part 2--Wars Without Winners: Peacekeeping in the Congo 165 Ch5- Into the Cauldron: The Congo Past and Present 167 African Kingdoms and European Incursions 167 The Berlin Bargain 168 A State Fails 170 History Renewed 178 Ch6- Conflict Without End: The Kivu Wars 181 Anatomy of a Crisis 182 Diplomacy Takes Over 198 Endgame: Kimia Redux 205 A Shot in the Dark 207 Ch7- The Contagion of Conflict: Other Places, Other Wars 213 Kingdom of the Kongo 214 Thunder and Lightning: Resisting the Lord’s Army 215 The Fishpond War 219 The Limits of Protection 221 Ch8- Pursuing Peace: Stabilization, Peacebuilding, and Transition 227 Building a Platform for Peace 228 Stabilization or Building on Sand? 231 Reforming the Security Services: A Fool’s Errand? 232 Lost in Transition 235 Journey’s End 241 Part 3--Out of the Shadows: The Promise of Peace 247 Ch9- Great Expectations: Intervention and Its Conceits 249 The Quantum of Confidence 250 The Limits of Intervention 255 Peacekeeping, Politics, and the Search for Solutions 260 The Art of What’s Possible 261 Ch10- Pipe Dreams and Possibilities: Navigating Pathways to Peace 263 The Parameters of Possibility 264 The Pillars of Peace 267 Game Changers: Leaders and Leadership for Peacebuilding 273 Part 4--Moving Forward: Peacekeeping Today and Tomorrow 275 Ch11- A Job Like No Other: Leading Peacekeeping Missions 277 The People of Peacekeeping 277 Blue and Black: Building Team UN 282 Working with Warriors: Civil-Military Relations 284 Messages, Messengers: The Power of Perception 286 First Among Many Equals 292 Ch12- Facing the Future: Actions for Peace 301 Action for Peacekeeping 302 Peace and Prevention: Tilting at Windmills? 303 The Primacy of Politics and the Paradox of Protection 305 The Dance Card: Partnerships and Peacekeeping 309 The Heart of the Matter: Peacekeeping, People, and Performance 311 Fit for Purpose: The Push for Reform 313 Peacekeeping: Where Next? 315 Notes 319 Bibliography 329 Index 339 About the Book 354 Offers a rare window into the real world of UN peacekeeping missions in Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Alan Doss's story is one of presidents and prelates, warlords and warriors, heroes and villains, achievements and disappointments - and innocent people caught in the midst of deadly violence.