"Peacekeeping when there is no peace to keep" : A case study of UNPROFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Gouthro, Gerard (1995) "Peacekeeping when there is no peace to keep" : A case study of UNPROFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

As the Cold War drew to a close during the late 1980s, United Nations' peacekeeping dramatically expanded with respect to both the number of missions and the duties it performed. Post Cold-War era peacekeeping is controversial. Advocates and critics of this new generation of peacekeeping disagree as to whether the consequences of individual missions are positive or negative. This thesis addresses the above debate. -- The present study analyzes the origins, political support, mandate, financing, and the planning and implementation of the UN peacekeeping operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina. By focusing on these factors, this case study attempts to determine the effectiveness and feasibility of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The thesis focuses upon the development of the UNPROFOR mission from its beginning until December 31, 1994. The author's conclusion is that despite the obstacles and dilemmas facing the UN mission, the peacekeepers can be viewed as making a positive difference in the conflict. The author also concludes that peacekeepers are only part of the solution to the Bosnian conflict and that a settlement lies outside the sphere of UNPROFOR's mandate. Before undertaking the UNPROFOR case study, both the history and the development of peacekeeping are reviewed to provide a better understanding of what peacekeeping is and how it has changed since the end of the Cold War. The part of the thesis title which appears within quotation marks is taken from a presentation made by retired Canadian Armed Forces Major-General Lewis MacKenzie on the CBC television program, Witness.

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