Accession Number:

ADA288408

Title:

The Fine Line Between Peacekeeping and War.

Descriptive Note:

Research rept. Aug 93-Apr 94,

Corporate Author:

NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIV WASHINGTON DC

Personal Author(s):

• Betancourt, Jose L.

Report Date:

1994-04-01

Pagination or Media Count:

35.0

Abstract:

The post-Cold War international environment is being shaped by forces of integration and disintegration. The civil war in Somalia is an example of the challenges that will confront the U.S. as it seeks to exercise leadership both unilaterally and in multinational forums. Somalia is the first case after the Cold War in which U.N. forces were committed to enforce peace under Chapter VII of the Charter. However, the transition from a humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping mission to peace enforcement was made abruptly, without the benefit of thoughtful discussion of all of the elements that created the conflict. Consequently, U.S. force was used inappropriately to achieve ill defined objectives, resulting in the loss of American troops and the decision to effect a complete withdrawal from Somalia. There are many excellent lessons to be learned from the U.S.s involvement in Somalia. Principal among these is that in todays increasingly anarchic international environment, prudence dictates that the decision to send U.S. forces in harms way should be the result of deliberate, thoughtful discussion at the highest level of our government However, to continue to exercise its world leadership role, the U.S. must not let Somalia be the defining experience in the use of force after the Cold War.

Descriptors:

• *WARFARE
• *MILITARY STRATEGY
• MILITARY FORCES(UNITED STATES)
• GLOBAL
• ENVIRONMENTS
• DECISION MAKING
• LEADERSHIP
• PEACETIME
• COLD WAR
• INTERNATIONAL
• LOSSES
• SOMALIA
• WARSAW PACT COUNTRIES

Subject Categories:

• Defense Systems
• Military Operations, Strategy and Tactics

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE