Peace operations
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Peace operations cover a wide range of activities that are needed in the sort of low-intensity conflict that may take place after the end of a conventional war between nation-states, a insurgency#civil war|civil war]], or a state that has broken up into local militias.[1] Other terms are used in national doctrine, such as stability operations by the United States of America]] and low-intensity conflict by the United Kingdom]]. The terminology is sufficiently vague that termss are not consistently written: "peacekeeping vs. peace keeping", "peacemaking vs. peace making", etc. Only "peace enforcement" seems always to be written as one word. While every situation is unique, several types of activity are known:
Consistency of objectiveThe disastrous operations in Somalia started as a well-intentioned humanitarian relief effort, but, without carefully redefining the operational requirements, suffered "mission creep", also called "strategic overreach". [5] The mission gradually became nation building, but without a consensus among various groups, who were quite prepared to respond with military force. [4] Peace keepingThe United Nations Secretary General defines peace keeping as "the deployment of a United Nations presence in the field, hitherto with the consent of all the parties concerned involving UN military and/or police personnel and frequently civilians as well. Peacekeeping is a technique that expands the possibility for both the prevention of conflict and the making of peace." Peace keeping must always support diplomacy. Its military compnent may include:
United Nations peacekeeping forces are invited by all sides, are multinational, and arrive after the fighting has ended... In the past, traditional peacekeeping was feasible because two conditions existed before peacekeepers were inserted: fighting had ceased, and both or all parties preferred the presence of the peacekeepers to their absence.[6] One of the challenges of peacekeeping is protecting the peacekeepers. Standard military doctrine calls for visible force, and usually active patrolling around a base, not just passive defense. The U.S. rules of engagement]] in Beirut, at the time of the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings]] were to keep sentries in fixed positions close to the buildings, with ammunition carried but not in their rifles, and no weapons heavier than rifles. Peace enforcementIn September 1993, Croatian forces in the Medak Pocket had assumed that they could drive of UN forces with a small amount of fire. While ethnic cleansing was continuing, however, the new UN Force Commander, French Lieutenant-General Jean Cot chose not to insert a few observers, but to send in a combat brigade-equivalent built around the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry (a mechanized infantry regiment) supplemented with two companies of French mechanized infantry. This force caused the Croatians to back down. [7] Peace making"Peace making...combines negotiation with nonmilitary tools of coercion to achieve a resolution of a conflict. When these tools are inadequate, military tools may be used to establish and maintain, forcibly if necessary, a cessation of hostilities. ... peacemaking constitutes the political framework for application of military force. Without a peacemaking effort, peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations will always fail. "Even if military force is authorized by the United Nations, all military operations involve continuous negotiation, with all parties, and at many different levels." [8] Peace buildingUnited NationsCreated by the United Nations General Assembly]] and United Nations Security Council]] resolution 60/180 and resolution 1645 (2005) of 20 December 2005, the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is a new intergovernmental advisory body of the United Nations]] that supports peace efforts in countries emerging from conflict, and is a key addition to the capacity of the International Community in the broad peace agenda.[9] PBC is seen as filling a gap in the existing UN peace structure, by bringing together the government of a specific country together with all the relevant international and national actors to discuss and decide on a long-term peacebuilding strategy with the aim of preventing a relapse into conflict. It does have funds that can be disbursed to assist the process. With the development of such a strategy, available funds will be spent more effectively and efficiently and will close the gap between immediate post-conflict efforts on the one hand, and long-term recovery and development efforts on the other. The Peacebuilding Commission plays a unique role in
It is specifically mandated to:
UK and RussiaA joint effort between the British group Peacebuilding UK [10], and the Russian Charitable Fund ‘Centre for Peacebuilding and Community Development’, focuses on peacebuilding in the North Caucasus. [11] The Russian partner has offices in Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia and Dagestan. The joint focus includes psychosocial, peacebuilding and community development work, including support of the ‘Daimohk’ dance ensemble in Chechnya. Dance, according to Ramzan Akhmadov, former star of the Chechen National Ballet and Celebrated Artist of the Russian Federation - and his wife Aiza, a dancer and choreographer, is a way to give a generation of children surrounded by violence and aggression a positive creative focus and emotional self-expression. References
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