Peacekeeping 'not always helpful'
Peacekeepers at work in Sudan
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Sunday, 21, Sep 2008 09:21
Using United Nations and Nato peacekeeping forces can make insecurity worse, new research suggests.
Analysis of peacekeeping in Haiti, Kosovo and Liberia from researchers based at the University of Bristol reveals how interventions frequently exacerbated existing tensions.
In Kosovo, efforts to ensure against reprisals resulted in ethnic divisions
hardening. And in Haiti, anti-gang operations were viewed negatively by civilians.
Liberia, however, saw a different approach: here peacekeepers were not deployed in such direct ways against problem areas, allowing the country to emerge from a 14-year civil war to democratic elections.
Small factors influenced perceptions, the researchers found. Regular visits to communities, their likelihood to intervene to stop violence and how disciplined peacekeepers appeared to be all made a difference.
The national identity of peacekeepers also made a difference. Some Liberians disliked the "aggressiveness" of Nigerian forces, as opposed to the "well-equipped and professional" Irish and Swedish. Bangladeshi peacekeepers were better at humanitarian than military assistance.
The research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.