Olara Otunnu and Michael Doyle, Peacemaking and Peacekeeping for the New Century, Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, New York, 1998, 352 pp.

As civil wars and ethnic strife have increased in the 1990s, the capacity of the United Nations to deal with them has been called into question. In this book, Olara Otunnu and Michael Doyle bring together a host of authors with experience in global security issues to discuss the UN experience over the past fifty years in peacemaking and peacekeeping and ways in which scarce resources can be used effectively. Looking at the UN experience, in the first part, Boutros Boutros-Ghali surveys the manifold challenges of peacemaking and peacekeeping which led the UN to rethink its strategies of managing conflicts. He proposes that the UN should end funding less effective operations and must transfer resources to the operations that are likely to produce positive results. Adam Roberts analyses the state of international security in the post-Cold War order. He argues that the UN was not designed to contain ethnic conflicts, but interstate conflicts. He suggests therefore that the organisation needs to adapt very quickly not only to contain ethnic conflicts, but also to resolve them.

In the second part, which focuses on the prevention of deadly conflict, Gareth Evans presents a sober analysis of preventive action that emphasises the need to go beyond diplomacy in conflict prevention. Evans states that ‘preventive economic’ and ‘social’ development need to be combined with diplomacy to avoid the emergence of conflicts. Ismat Kittani revisits the UN’s record of preventive diplomacy and peacemaking and discusses whether preventive diplomacy and negotiated settlements could assist in the prevention of deadly conflicts. He claims that the gains of the UN in Bahrain in 1970 and the Iraq-Iran War in 1987 could serve as useful lessons for the Secretary-General in employing preventive diplomacy.

The third part of the book concentrates on peacekeeping, peace enforcement and the use of force. Edward Mortimer examines John Stuart Mill’s arguments for and against intervention in the domestic affairs of another state, and suggests that the UN needs to develop a principle of intervention. He advances the idea that it is legitimate to intervene in cases where there is genocide. John Sanderson probes when and how the UN should make the decision to use force. Sanderson declares that the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), which he commanded, was pressured to take punitive measures against the Khmer Rouge when it defected from the framework of the Paris Accord. UNTAC, however, declined to use force, assuming that its action would have undermined the installation of a legitimate government that was later able to take military action against the Khmer Rouge. Kofi Annan outlines the doctrinal and operational changes in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. He highlights ways in which the UN can handle future peacekeeping operations — preventive diplomacy and multidimensional peacekeeping. He also notes the development of military expertise within the Department of Peacekeeping Operation aimed at enhancing the quality of peacekeeping. Brian Urquhart and Francois Heisbourg debate whether a ‘rapid-reaction capability’ could improve peacekeeping. Urquhart discusses the basic requisites (political, financial, operational and logistical) of a volunteer force that can be deployed before conflicts deteriorate. Heisbourg lays emphasis on the improvement of the current standby arrangements.

In the fourth part, focusing on the role of the UN in humanitarian emergencies, Jan Eliason points out the need to co-ordinate humanitarian assistance and other efforts such as peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding. He suggests that joint training programmes for peacekeepers and relief workers can be one of the means to secure co-ordination. Sadako Ogata examines the ability of the UN to deal with humanitarian emergencies. She discusses how the UN should manage peace operations so that a better result can be achieved, utilising political, military, and humanitarian action. She further states that emergencies which require international humanitarian response can be economic, social, cultural and environmental as much as they are political. After detailing the organisational and operational renovations of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which she leads, she also outlines the advantages and disadvantages of using the military in humanitarian situations.

The fifth part explores the regional aspects of international conflicts. John Roper considers the possibility of a division of labour between the UN and regional organisations. He ponders whether regional organisations, specifically those in Europe, can shoulder some of the responsibilities of the UN. Ali Mazrui analyses the security environment in which African states operate in the post-Cold War structure, and its viability. He pursues the argument that violence is likely to take place in societies where the population consists of two ethnic groups sharing common territory (for example, Rwanda and Burundi). Mazrui claims that violence can be avoided if power-sharing mechanisms are in place, and discusses various ways to achieve this goal. Salim Ahmed Salim presents numerous innovative steps that the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) has taken to come to grips with the conflicts in Africa. He sets forward how the UN and regional organisations can co-operate in managing conflicts. He asserts that regional organisations should take primary responsibility for ensuring the security of their respective regions.

Thomas Franck, in the sixth section which centres on peacebuilding, examines the role of the UN in building sustainable peace. He advocates the establishment of peacebuilding institutions and investment in international peace security. In this connection, he recommends the creation of a permanent cadre that will build peace and outlines methods to finance this initiative.

Olara Otunnu rounds off the discussions in the foregoing chapters, and emphasises that the UN must remain engaged in its efforts to secure global peace and security. Drawing from UN experience of the past fifty years, he outlines various ways to tackle the challenges of peacemaking and peacekeeping. He suggests that current challenges can be overcome by restoring a sense of perspective, building institutional capacities, reforming the Security Council, generating collective will, and advancing a regime of international norms.

The book is topical, well-written, and makes useful contributions to the broader debate of peacemaking and peacekeeping. But at times, it can be boring and dull, as the reader is burdened with organisational procedures. At any rate, for those who pursue the study of international security, the book is recommended reading.

Abdul Omar
Institute for Security Studies