Soldiers of Diplomacy : The United Nations, Peacekeeping, and the New World Order

United Nations peacekeeping troops, or 'Blue Helmets,' were first deployed in 1956 to oversee the withdrawal of French, British, and Israeli forces from the Suez Canal. Canadian Lester B. Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize the following year for proposing this solution to the Suez crisis. Now forty years later, United Nations peacekeepers play a very different role from that of Pearson's lightly armed 'soldier-diplomats.' In June 1997, there were only seven UN missions in which the Blue Helmets were acting as true peacekeepers; another ten missions placed the Blue Helmets in civil conflicts where their roles ranged from evacuating threatened groups to organizing elections, and their tasks were much more dangerous. Jocelyn Coulon draws his experiences visiting nine peacekeeping missions, including Cambodia, Bosnia, and Somalia, at a pivotal point in UN history, when the UN troops were increasingly acting as warriors of a new world order. He raises important questions: How can the UN distinguish its objectives from the interests of the great powers? Could - and should - the UN maintain an independent army? How can the pitfalls encountered by the peacekeepers in Somalia and Bosnia be avoided? Finally, Coulon urges a return to the original, though less spectacular, role of the UN soldiers: keeping the peace where peace is really the goal of the parties involved. Soldiers of Diplomacy was first published in French in 1994; this new English edition has been updated to reflect recent events. The result of interviews with dozens of soldiers, officers, and officials involved in peacekeeping activities, it is a unique and thought-provoking investigation of UN peacekeeping. United Nations peacekeeping troops, or 'Blue Helmets, ' were first deployed in 1956 to oversee the withdrawal of French, British, and Israeli forces from the Suez Canal. Canadian Lester B. Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize the following year for proposing this solution to the Suez crisis. Now forty years later, United Nations peacekeepers play a very. different role from that of Pearson's lightly armed 'soldier-diplomats.' In June 1997 there were only seven UN missions in which the Blue Helmets acted as true peacekeepers; another ten missions placed them in civil conflicts where their roles ranged from evacuating threatened groups to organizing elections, and their tasks were much more dangerous.Jocelyn Coulon draws on visits to nine peacekeeping missions (including Cambodia, Bosnia, and Somalia) at a pivotal point in UN history, when the UN troops were increasingly acting as warriors of a new world order. He raises important questions: How can the UN distinguish its objectives from the interests of the great Powers? Could -- and should -- the UN maintain an independent army? How can the pitfalls encountered by the peacekeepers in Somalia and Bosnia be avoided? Finally, Coulon urges a return to the original though less spectacular role of UN soldiers: keeping the peace where peace is really the goal of the parties involved.Soldiers of Diplomacy was first published in French in 1994; this new English edition has been updated to reflect recent events. The result of interviews with dozens of soldiers, officers, and officials involved in peacekeeping activities, it is a unique and thought-provoking investigation of UN peacekeeping. Contents 5 Acknowledgments 7 Introduction 9 Part One: The Rebirth of the United Nations 15 1. In the Glass Tower 15 2. A Nobel Prize for Canada 30 Part Two: The Peacekeeping Missions 43 3. The Soldier-Diplomat 43 4. Cambodia: The Fairies around the Cradle 53 5. Sabotage and Betrayal in Western Sahara 68 6. The New Warriors 83 7. Murder in Somalia 100 8. The Unhappy Warriors 113 9. Obstruction by the Great Powers 131 Part Three: An Army for the UN 147 10. Peacekeeping Takes a Back Seat to Politics 147 11. A Huge Lego Set 157 12. Pressure from the French 165 Epilogue 181 Appendix A: United Nations Peacekeeping Missions to 1 September 1994 209 Appendix B: Excerpts from the Charter of the United Nations 216 Notes 223 Selected Bibliography 233 Index 237 "Jocelyn Coulon draws on his experiences visiting nine peacekeeping missions, including those in Cambodia, Bosnia, and Somalia, at a pivotal point in UN history, when UN troops were increasingly acting as warriors of a new world order. He raises important questions: How can the UN distinguish its objectives from the interests of the great powers? Could - and should - the UN maintain an independent army? How can the pitfalls encountered by the peacekeepers in Somalia and Bosnia be avoided? Finally, Coulon urges a return to the original, though less spectacular, role of the UN soldiers: keeping the peace where peace is really the goal of the parties involved."--Résumé de l'éditeur "Jocelyn Coulon draws on his experiences visiting nine peacekeeping missions, including those in Cambodia, Bosnia, and Somalia, at a pivotal point in UN history, when UN troops were increasingly acting as warriors of a new world order. He raises important questions: How can the UN distinguish its objectives from the interests of the great powers? Could - and should - the UN maintain an independent army? How can the pitfalls encountered by the peacekeepers in Somalia and Bosnia be avoided? Finally, Coulon urges a return to the original, though less spectacular, role of the UN soldiers: keeping the peace where peace is really the goal of the parties involved."--Jacket A unique, thought-provoking investigation based on visits to nine recent peacekeeping missions and interviews with dozens of soldiers, officers, and peacekeeping officials.