UN Peacekeeping, American Policy and the Uncivil Wars of the 1990s / Edition 1

by William J. Durch

Overview

In a stunning follow-up to his well-received The Evolution of UN Peacekeeping , William Durch looks at the peacekeeping efforts of the United Nations as they took shape during the present decade. El Salvador, Angola, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, Cambodia and the former Yugoslavia all harboured explosive political situations that tested, and in some cases continue to test, the limits of the United Nations ability to keep peace in a world where the political situation is constantly changing. Anyone interested in international politics and peacekeeping will want to read Durch's newest.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312160753
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan US
Publication date:	12/12/1996
Series:	A Stimson Center Book
Edition description:	1997
Pages:	502
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.30(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction and Overview; W.J.Durch - Knowing When to Say No: The Development of US Policy for Peacekeeping; I.H.Daalder - Pursuing Human Rights: The United Nations Operation in El Salvador; F.O.Hampson - The Peace that Fell Apart: The United Nations and the War in Angola; Y.C.Lodico - The Politics of Reconciliation: The United Nations Operation in Mozambique; P.L.Reed - The Politics of Death: Peacekeeping and Disaster Relief in Rwanda; J.M.Vaccaro - Introduction to Anarchy: Humanitarian Intervention and 'State-building' in Somalia; W.J.Durch - Creating Legitimate Governance: The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia; J.A.Schear - Neutrality and Responsibility: Peace Operations in the Former Yugoslavia; W.J.Durch & J.A.Schear - Spheres of Interest: Keeping the Peace in the Borderlands of Russia; K.P.O'Prey - Epilogue

Editorial Reviews

'...the single most authoritative text on peacekeeping in the post-cold war era...the cases are comprehensive and incisive...and the authors bring sharp analysis, clean prose, and much experience in recent peace-keeping operations. Anyone wanting help navigating the labyrinths of today's internal conflicts should read this book.' - Stephen John Steadman, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University

'...crisply written, carefully researched, and insightfully analyzed case studies of the UN's varied attempts to bring peace to the civil wars of the 1990s...A worthy successor to their Evolution of UN Peacekeeping.' - Michael W. Doyle, Professor, Princeton Universzity and Senior Fellow of the International Peawce Academy

From the Publisher

Bridging the anecdotal and the analytical, Soldiers of Peace, an anthology by the special projects editor of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, more than lives up to its billing. Reflecting the disparate experiences, perspectives, and opinions of its distinguished contributorsscholars, journalists, and United Nations and government officialson the military and political aspects of the timely and controversial issue of peacekeeping, the book in 13 eminently readable essays covers the gamut: history, tactical, and logistical issues, training and execution, case studies, and analysis. Complemented by black-and-white photographs, maps, a list of acronyms, and a gazetteer, this book is both an excellent primer on the subject and a scholarly resource. As such, it stands apart from other recent academically oriented works such as UN Peacekeeping, American Politics, and the Uncivil Wars of the 1990s (reviewed below). Highly recommended. In his companion to his The Evolution of UN Peacekeeping: Case Studies and Comparative Analysis (St. Martin's, 1993), Durch, senior associate at the Henry L. Stimson Center, focuses on the relationship between peacekeeping and U.S. foreign policy. The bulk of the book consists of scholarly essays on UN operations in El Salvador, Angola, Cambodia, the former Yugoslavia, Mozambique, Somalia, and Rwanda, supplemented by one on Russian peacekeeping efforts in parts of the former Soviet Union. Particularly noteworthy are the first two chapters, which examine the politics and lessons of UN peacekeeping and trace the evolution of U.S. policy on peacekeeping. Complemented by an extensive bibliography, Durch's book, designed "for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses in contemporary conflict, conflict management, conflict resolution, or international organization," will appeal to both scholars and informed lay readers. A valuable contribution to the growing literature on UN peacekeeping in the aftermath of the 1993 Persian Gulf War.David Ettinger, George Washington Univ. Lib., Washington, D.C.

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