Peacekeeping hazards

DEAR SIR — The killing of 13 South African soldiers in the Central African Republic and the kidnapping of peacekeeping soldiers in Syria exposes peacekeeping as a dangerous global hazard.

The United Nations … introduced the “international peacekeeping” concept into the public lexicon. And yet, both in its theoretical underpinnings and practical manifestations, (it) remains a highly problematic idea.

The distinction between peacekeeping and restoration of order is more than a semantic combat…. Inherent in the concept is an idea of the limitations of the use of military force as well as the possible costs. It is the political leaders who ultimately determine the political objectives of military operations, and they must not establish objectives for the military that are unachievable.

There may well be reasons to employ military forces in certain situations to restore order … such operations may help create the conditions for peacekeeping. But these are combat operations with costs and risks not normally associated with peacekeeping.

Units fight to accomplish their task, and they go in with enough force to ensure success. Units assigned peacekeeping missions prepare not to fight.

Sloppy thinking about the use of military force in “peacekeeping” can cause embarrassment when political leaders choose inappropriate solutions to diplomatic problems.

Although there were many failures that contributed to the CAR tragedy, the failure to understand the fundamental requirements for successful peacekeeping (was a key one). Farouk Araie Johannesburg