Essay from the year 2005 in the subject Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict, Security, grade: 1,7, University of Cape Town (University of Cape Town), course: Vorlesung, language: English, abstract: Ever since the Second World War international peace and security have been at the top of the agenda of the international community. Especially the peacekeeping operations of the United Nations (UN) are an important component of today’s international peace situation. What exactly is peacekeeping and how does it work? The efforts of the UN to end war, their successes or failures have increasingly become subject of discussions by scholars and politicians over the last years. This paper focuses on the concept of peacekeeping and how it is put into practice by the UN. It provides a brief overview of the different concepts that peace studies offer in terms of ending conflicts. Furthermore the concept of peacekeeping and its developement within the UN is elaborated exemplifying the implementation of UN peacekeeping efforts in Mozambique.

By the time it ended in 1992, Mozambique's 15-year civil war had exacted a terrible price. Economically paralyzed, the vast, drought-stricken country was rich only in enmity, landmines, and AK-47s. Into this misery was thrust a multifaceted UN mission, ONUMOZ, to manage the transition from military combat to electoral contest. Remarkably, when ONUMOZ departed two years later, that job was largely done. This comprehensive account describes how ONUMOZ went about its tasks--assembling and demobilizing troops, providing humanitarian aid, demining, preparing for elections--and assesses how well each was accomplished and why. Richard Synge takes us behind the scenes of the operation, unearthing new information from confidential UN files and from face-to-face interviews with leading players. Even-handed and rigorous, Synge highlights not only the strengths but also the weaknesses of ONUMOZ, and he puts ONUMOZ firmly in its international and regional context. Among the many lessons ONUMOZ offers future peacekeeping efforts is that success demands the support of an engaged international community and a people eager to make peace work.

From the John Holmes Library collection.

An in-depth 2007 analysis of the sources of success and failure in UN peacekeeping missions in civil wars.

Dennis C. Jett examines why peacekeeping operations fail by comparing the unsuccessful attempt at peacekeeping in Angola with the successful effort in Mozambique, alongside a wide range of other peacekeeping experiences. The book argues that while the causes of past peacekeeping failures can be identified, the chances for success will be difficult to improve because of the way such operations are initiated and conducted, and the way the United Nations operates as an organization. Jett reviews the history of peacekeeping and the evolution in the number, size, scope, and cost of peacekeeping missions. He also explains why peacekeeping has become more necessary, possible, and desired and yet, at the same time, more complex, more difficult, and less frequently used. The book takes a hard look at the UN's actions and provides useful information for understanding current conflicts.

Essay from the year 2005 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict Studies, Security, grade: 1,7, University of Cape Town (University of Cape Town), course: Vorlesung, language: English, abstract: Ever since the Second World War international peace and security have been at the top of the agenda of the international community. Especially the peacekeeping operations of the United Nations (UN) are an important component of today's international peace situation. What exactly is peacekeeping and how does it work? The efforts of the UN to end war, their successes or failures have increasingly become subject of discussions by scholars and politicians over the last years. This paper focuses on the concept of peacekeeping and how it is put into practice by the UN. It provides a brief overview of the different concepts that peace studies offer in terms of ending conflicts. Furthermore the concept of peacekeeping and its developement within the UN is elaborated exemplifying the implementation of UN peacekeeping efforts in Mozambique.