The Foreign Service Journal, May 2019

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2019 49 Uncomplicated but Endless: Classical Peacekeeping In classical peacekeeping operations, the peacekeepers had the uncomplicated assignment of monitoring a demilitarized zone between the two armies following a war between coun- tries over territory. The goal was to allow both sides to have the confidence that neither was taking advantage of a cease-fire to improve its military position. The combatants had a wide variety of weapons at their disposal, but they were generally disciplined military forces that attacked each other rather than civilians. So while the work had its risks, the peacekeepers were not targeted. Ironically, wars between countries over territory, which is what the United Nations was established to help prevent, are very rare today. But the cause of such wars—the territorial dis- pute—is never easily settled. As a result, classical peacekeeping operations can be endless, providing only the illusion of peace. Take, for instance, the first two operations the U.N. launched: United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, and United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in disputed Kashmir. Even though they both have been going on for more than 70 years, neither shows any sign of ending. The problem with classical peacekeep- ing is that, while it presents peacekeepers with a manageable assignment, ending it can prove impossible because it requires the parties to agree on where the imaginary line on a map called a border is to be drawn. If a line is drawn, politicians on one or both sides of it will complain that their country lost out in the bargain. To avoid the perception of defeat, political leaders will refuse to negotiate seri- ously, preferring the status quo indefinitely to being accused of surrendering some of the territory over which the war was fought. That is why Israel and its neighbors and India and Pakistan have made so little progress toward resolving their differences. Six of the 14 current operations involve classical peacekeeping. UNTSO, UNMOGIP, the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Syria, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFIL) and the United Nations Mission for the Refer- endum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) have been in existence for a combined total of more than three centuries, yet there is no prospect of any of them being brought to a successful conclusion. Since the U.S. government has said it recognizes Israel’s sover- eignty over the territory it occupies on the Golan Heights, when can the peacekeepers there go home?The answer is obviously when Syria gives up its claim to the land, which means never. If the United States wants to save money on peacekeeping, it should push to close all six classical operations (and the non- U.N. mission in the Sinai). If the countries involved and their main supporters want to retain the peacekeepers, they should be required to pick up the tab. One of the few exceptions to the rule that classical peace- keeping missions are nearly impossible to end occurred while I was in Lima in the late 1990s. A border dispute between Peru and Ecuador had been simmering for nearly 50 years and had broken out into fighting on several occasions. A creative solution was found that left part of the disputed territory on the Peruvian side of the border, but granted Ecuador nonsovereign rights to it. Both presidents were able to declare victory, and the dispute was ended. The peacekeeping mission that had monitored the border—comprising a small number of troops from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and the United States, who were not under U.N. auspices—was declared a success and closed down. Solutions like that are difficult to find, even when the dispute is over a patch of remote jungle. But at least land can be divided more easily than what is at stake in the next kind of conflict to which the U.N. applied peacekeeping. Multidimensional Peacekeeping Operations As the colonial empires of the European powers fell apart fol- lowing World War II, many of the new nations that emerged did not have a smooth transition to independence. Civil wars broke out as different factions fought for control of the government. These wars were waged in poor countries where, in a struggle for political power, the winner takes all and the loser is out of luck. As undisciplined armed groups clashed in these struggles, civilians thought to be supporting the other side became tar- gets. Humanitarian disasters resulted as the noncombatants responded by fleeing the fighting, becoming displaced persons or, if a crossable border was nearby, refugees. Once a cease-fire was established in these wars, peacekeep- ers could be sent. They brought a long list of goals to accomplish to help the peace become permanent. The list could include The problem with classical peacekeeping is that, while it presents peacekeepers with a manageable assignment, ending it can prove impossible.