Examples Flashcards
Kofi Annan quote about the membership of the UNSC
“It is indefensible today that Latin America does not have a single permanent seat on the Security Council. India, with almost a fifth of the world’s population, doesn’t have a seat. Africa, with 54 countries, doesn’t have a single seat. Even Japan, the second largest contributor, does not have a permanent seat”
Michael W Doyle quote about UNGA
it is “an important institution that has never quite sorted out its role” and has “insufficient deliberation and not enough genuine discussion”
UNSC success in northern Iraq (1990-91)
in 1990, the UNSC was successful in peace-making when it mandated military action to evict Iraqi forces from Kuwait
it then authorised the establishment of UN safe havens within Iraq in 1991 to limit Saddam Hussein’s aggression towards his own citizens
UNSC success in Sierra Leone (1999 - 2005)
in Sierra Leone (1999 - 2005), UN peacekeepers successfully prevented the country relapsing into conflict while a peace agreement was put in place
UN soldiers helped to destroy more than 42,000 weapons and 1.2 million rounds of ammunition, as well as disarm over 75,000 fighters, including child soldiers
“a potentially deadly arsenal that is now itself dead” — Ban Ki-Moon
Sierra Leone now provides peacekeeping troops of its own in Somalia
NATO success in the Balkans (Bosnia 1995, Kosovo 1999)
in the Balkans, NATO made huge contributions that helped end the fighting and subsequently begin highly successful nation building
the UN, by not taking sides in the conflict, proved unable to stop the fighting yet NATO could
its bombing of the Bosnian Serbs in 1995 led to the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the fighting in Bosnia
similarly, its bombing of Serbia in 1999 led to the liberation of Kosovo, as well as the subsequent overthrow of Milosevic by the Serbs themselves
NATO’s role in subsequent peacemaking in the Balkans has also been praised — following ceasefires in Bosnia in 1995 and then in Kosovo 1999 it had a key role nation building
NATO success in Somalia
NATO has played an important role in confronting Somali pirates as part of Operation Ocean Shield
the operation protected the ships of Operation Allied Provider which transported relief supplies as part of the World Food Programme’s mission in the region
the initiative also helped strengthen the navies and coastguards of regional states to assist in countering pirate attacks
consequently, piracy has been significantly reduce in the region
at the height of the crisis, pirates were seizing dozens of ships each year with a knock-on economic cost estimated to be in the billions of euros annually BUT since 2012, thanks to maritime patrols, armed guards aboard ships and a range of other defensive measures, not a single commercial vessel has been captured
the mission concluded in 2016 and is widely considered one of NATO’s most successful ever operations
UNSC failure in Syria
the UNSC resolution to disarm Syria of its chemical weapons was largely ineffective and did not prevent future conflict
Syrian government forces were still using gas bombs against rebel forces and in 2017, a suspected government forces chemical attack took place in a Syrian town, killing at least 74 people and injuring around 550
