Transcript The role of the United Nations in the post

The role of the United Nations in
the post-Cold War Environment
Learning Objective
An overview of UN
intervention during the
Cold War – Background
and Context
Impact of the end of the
Cold War
The position of the UN by
2004
Origins
• The Hague Convention 1899
• The League of Nations 1919
• The United Nations 1945
Hague Conventions 1899
In 1899, the International
Peace Conference was held
in The Hague to set up
instruments for settling
crises peacefully,
preventing wars and
codifying rules of warfare.
Main European countries
Nuremberg trials
Robert Jackson’s opening
remarks were mostly
legalistic and technical in
tone. He quoted heavily
from the agreements
established at the Hague
conventions in 1899 and
1907 and explained how
Nazi Germany’s conduct
during and before World
War II, under Hitler’s
leadership, were in
violation of international
agreements
The League of Nations 1919
The forerunner of the
United Nations was the
League of Nations, an
organization put together
in similar circumstances
during the first World
War, and established in
1919 under the Treaty of
Versailles "to promote
international cooperation
and to achieve peace and
security”. 27 countries.
(not the US)
The United Nations 1945
• The Charter consists of a
preamble and a series of articles
grouped into chapters.
• The preamble consists of two
principal parts. The first part
containing a general call for the
maintenance of peace and
international security and
respect for human rights. The
second part of the preamble is a
declaration in a contractual
style that the governments of
the peoples of the United
Nations have agreed to the
Charter. Originally 51 countries
signed the charter.
Controversial?
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Often seen as a western concept.
Essential tool for peacekeeping.
Weak and powerless.
Too pro US.
Too factional.
Unable to prevent atrocities against HR.
The articles
#1
To maintain international peace and security, to
take effective collective measures for the prevention and
removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression
of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and
to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with
the principles of justice and international law.
#27 Each member of the Security Council shall have
one vote.
Power of a resolution: statement of action or intent
Use of the Veto in the Security
Council 1946-2001
Up to 1988
• The Cold War limited the effectiveness of the
UN as a peacekeeping organisation.
• There were only 12 UN interventions between
1948-1978
• The Cold War paralysed UN intervention.
Peacekeeping operations could only take place
with agreement / consent of all parties.
1988 - 2004
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88-90
88-91
91-05
91-05
9192-93
93-96
93-97
9396-97
99-02
9920-12
Afghanistan and Pakistan (Observer)
Iran – Iraq (observer)
El Salvador (observer)
Angola (verification)
Iraq – Kuwait (observer)
Somalia (combat operational)
Rwanda (assistance)
Liberia (Mission)
Bosnia (mission)
Haiti (humanitarian support)
East Timor (mission)
Sierra Leone (mission)
Ethiopia, East Timor, Afghanistan
The UN and the end of the Cold War
1988
Gorbachev announced a new relationship
with the UN. He was committed to changing the
Soviet Union and the UN may have offered the USSR
a way out of Afghanistan
Post Cold War cooperation followed between the
USSR, US and the UN.
The break up of the USSR and of Yugoslavia
created nearly 20 new states. The New World
Order was further complicated by al-Qaeda
The Gulf War 1991
• Iraq invaded Kuwait
• Resolution 678
empowered the UN
to use force to
remove Iraq from
Kuwait
• 28 coalition countries
Gulf War issues
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Dominated by the US for their interests
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait funded war
UN seen as a tool of the US
US offered financial incentives to Russia and
China to not use their veto.
• More controversially this was seen as the start
of a more interventionist policy rather than
peacekeeping role.
Cambodia 1992 - 93
Entered the conflict in a
traditional role of
peacekeeping with the aim
of disarming the factions and
helping to organise elections.
The Un were unable to
disarm the factions but did
organise the elections and
withdrew announcing a
success.
Remained unstable
Superpowers lacked
the will to control
their client states
Somalia 1992 - 1995
• After the Cold War
Somalia disintegrated
into factional chaos
led by local warlords.
About 1/3 of the
population were
suffering from
starvation. UN and
NGO aid agencies
struggle to help.
Operation Restore Hope
A US force of 27,000
succeeded in providing
humanitarian aid but the
chaos continued.
 Anti US feeling.
 Black Hawk Down
 1994 Clinton withdrew
US forces, Somalia.
 Peacekeeping was not
possible and nor was
intervention
800,000 murdered
2 million displaced
2 million became refugees
Rwanda
1993 - 1996
Kofi Annann ‘we do acknowledge that the
world failed Rwanda at that time of evil’
UN response: Rwanda
• Indecisive and inadequate.
• No significant international pressure, esp the US.
• Despite the presence of some Belgian soldiers and
later French peacekeepers. Not enough.
• Some limited humanitarian aid provided by the US.
• Despite presence of UN troops they were not
equipped or mandated to intervene. Despite
appeals from the UN Force commander for a more
proactive role to stem the slaughter of civilians.
East Timor, 1992 -2002
• 1975 Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese
colony of East Timor.
• 1982 the UN with Portugal and Indonesia began a
process of talks to resolve the status of the
territory.
• 1998 after extensive talks and violence it agreed
that following an election the UN would provide
‘government’ for the people of East Timor. 2002
the independent state was declared.
The official UN evaluation
On 30 August 1999, the people of East Timor voted by
means of a direct, secret and universal ballot to begin a
process leading towards independence. UNTAET was
established on 25 October 1999 to administer the
Territory, exercise legislative and executive authority
during the transition period and support capacity-building
for self-government. East Timor became an independent
country on 20 May 2002. Also that day, UNTAET was
succeeded by the United Nations Mission of Support in
East Timor (UNMISET) established by Security Council
resolution 1410 of 17 May 2002 to provide assistance to
core administrative structures critical to the viability and
political stability of East Timor.
East Timor, 1992 -2002
Sierra Leone, 1999 - present
Civil war began in 1991
A UN observer mission arrived in 1998 but
withdrew as fighting intensified
Returned in 1999 with a larger more proactive
military force that took forceful action to keep the
peace.
In conclusion
The UN was created on the principle of collective
security, states working together to maintain
international peace. However, the reality during
the Cold War was that the UN was effective in its
role only when the Superpowers cooperated.
After the Cold War as Haass explained in his ‘The
Reluctant Sheriff,’ the world went from regulated
international relations to unregulated. Further to
this has been the national self interest of most
states. An alternative viewpoint is the advance of
globalisation in terms of a more integrated
international community.
Examination style question
• ‘Rather than making the role of the UN easier,
the end of the Cold War simply deepened its
problems.’ Assess the validity of this view.