A former UN peacekeeper, George Somerville, gave an insightful speech in the Security Council on Saturday. This article summarizes some of his larger points.
PEACEKEEPING FORCE FAILURE?
UNSC – Since their formation in 1948, UN peacekeepers have continually received criticism for their work, inspiring headlines with titles such as, "Another peacekeeping failure?" George Somerville answers that "the real question is, ‘What will the Security Council allow the peacekeepers to do?’ Of course, there is always a level of corruption [that needs to be overcome when proceeding with peacekeeping operations].” However, he reported that the key problems arise when members of the Security Council disagree with each other regarding whether or not to send in peacekeepers into certain nations. He states that as long as there is an agreement on a course of action within the Security Council, there would be no problems with maintaining world peace.
PERSPECTIVE OF A PEACEKEEPER: WHAT WERE THE LOCALS’ REACTIONS?
George continued on to describe his experiences as a member of the Sudanese peacekeeping mission from 2005 to 2011. He related how the women, children, and elderly would come out to cheer on the peacekeepers whenever UN personnel drove through their villages in their vehicles. Such positive feedback contrasted the negative. George found that the people who had tied up their views or money in one ideology would be hostile to any intervention that could upset that ideology – including that of the UN.
In his words, "if you block people from their interest, they will come back."
During George’s time in Sudan, one of the rebel militant group leaders, Charles Taylor, was convicted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. The peacekeepers were ordered to stay on high alert during this period of time because there was a high risk of Taylor’s many supporters acting violently against the UN. Luckily, no such violence occurred.
BRIEF CONCLUSION BY THE IPC
We would like to thank George very much for offering us and delegates a rare look into the UN’s peacekeeping. As much as peacekeeping appears to be declining, George’s visit to the UNSC has convinced us that these operations are still vital to global stability and security; it is simply a question, then, of how many resources and interests the world’s nations are willing to set aside to uphold peace.
PEACEKEEPING FORCE FAILURE?
UNSC – Since their formation in 1948, UN peacekeepers have continually received criticism for their work, inspiring headlines with titles such as, "Another peacekeeping failure?" George Somerville answers that "the real question is, ‘What will the Security Council allow the peacekeepers to do?’ Of course, there is always a level of corruption [that needs to be overcome when proceeding with peacekeeping operations].” However, he reported that the key problems arise when members of the Security Council disagree with each other regarding whether or not to send in peacekeepers into certain nations. He states that as long as there is an agreement on a course of action within the Security Council, there would be no problems with maintaining world peace.
PERSPECTIVE OF A PEACEKEEPER: WHAT WERE THE LOCALS’ REACTIONS?
George continued on to describe his experiences as a member of the Sudanese peacekeeping mission from 2005 to 2011. He related how the women, children, and elderly would come out to cheer on the peacekeepers whenever UN personnel drove through their villages in their vehicles. Such positive feedback contrasted the negative. George found that the people who had tied up their views or money in one ideology would be hostile to any intervention that could upset that ideology – including that of the UN.
In his words, "if you block people from their interest, they will come back."
During George’s time in Sudan, one of the rebel militant group leaders, Charles Taylor, was convicted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. The peacekeepers were ordered to stay on high alert during this period of time because there was a high risk of Taylor’s many supporters acting violently against the UN. Luckily, no such violence occurred.
BRIEF CONCLUSION BY THE IPC
We would like to thank George very much for offering us and delegates a rare look into the UN’s peacekeeping. As much as peacekeeping appears to be declining, George’s visit to the UNSC has convinced us that these operations are still vital to global stability and security; it is simply a question, then, of how many resources and interests the world’s nations are willing to set aside to uphold peace.