United Nations: Limitations in Leading Missions Requiring Force to Restore Peace.
Abstract
The founders of the United Nations intended the organization to play a major role in maintaining international peace and security, using force if necessary. During the Cold War, however, the United Nations did not have many opportunities to carry out peace operations involving military force because the superpowers vetoed most such U.N. actions. On two occasions during that time, in the Congo and Lebanon, the Security Council issued resolutions that required the missions to use some measure of force to achieve their objectives. Since the end of the Cold War, the U.N. Security Council has authorized a number of U.N. operations involving the use of force to help restore or maintain peace. For example, the Security Council authorized the use of force in Somalia and the former Yugoslavia under chapter VII of the U.N. charter, which authorizes 'action with respect to threats to peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression.' Given the U.N.'s performance in leading peace operations involving the use of force, some experts now question whether the United Nations is an appropriate organization to lead such missions. Others, including a former U.N. Secretary General, believe that the United Nations may be an appropriate organization to lead such missions, but that inadequate resources and operational structure have been the primary factors limiting the U.N.'s effectiveness.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 27, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA323607
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office