12. Role of the United Nations

What was the UN force Indonesia accepted in September 1999 authorised to do regarding East Timor?

'Take all necessary measures' to achieve three specific tasks: 'to restore peace and security in East Timor, to protect and support UNAMET in carrying out its tasks; and, within force capabilities, to facilitate humanitarian assistance operations.'

What did the Security Council recognise when it introduced Resolution 1368?

'The inherent right of individual or collective self-defence' to respond to terrorism

What did the UN enforcement action in the Persian Gulf do?

It was the first in the new post-Cold War era and it revealed the limited powers of the Security Council in the face of US determination to implement its own regional agenda.

How many member states did the UN have originally?

51

What did NATO begin in March 1999 regarding Kosovo?

A 77-day bombardment of Serbian targets.

What did the UN establish in October 1999 regarding East Timor?

A Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET} in October 1999. Its primary role was to establish and maintain law and order and to prepare the state for self-government and sustainable development.

What was the UN involvement in Rwanda by May 1994?

A UN force (UNAMIR) had been in Rwanda for eight months. Its role had been to facilitate the Arusha Peace Accords between the Rwanda Hutus and the Tutsis.

What happened in Sierra Leone in March 1991?

A civil war erupted.

What began to unfold in Dafur at the start of 2003?

A humanitarian crisis, fighting between government forces and rebels from the Sudanese Liberation Army made thousands of people refugees.

What did Mikhail Gorbachev announce in 1988?

A new Soviet relationship with the UN. He was committed to cooperation in the management of international conflicts. UN peacekeeping offered the Soviet Union a way out of the 'bleeding wound' of Afghanistan.

What did the UN Security Council do when Iraq failed to withdraw in January 1991?

A twenty-eight power UN coalition force was formed. This removed Iraqi forces from Kuwait. In doing so the coalition forces not only attacked Iraqi troops in Kuwait, it also bombed Iraq itself.

What was the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) ?

A weapons inspection system, its role was to monitor and, if necessary, verify the existence of chemical and biological weapons. A similar agency existed for nuclear weapons.

What was agreed to take place in August 1999 in East Timor?

After a long period of struggle for East Timor, the Indonesians agreed to hold a plebiscite on the future of the territory. The vote was held on 30 August and it resulted in 78.5 per cent of the people opting for independence.

How was NATO's 77-day bombardment of Serbian targets interpreted?

As a breach of international law as it did not have the explicit approval of the UN Security Council.

What impact did the US policy of conducting a war against terrorism have on the UN?

It did great damage to the UN and it caused significant divisions among the international community.

How did the Un's role change in Yugoslavia?

It expanded from a fairly traditional peacekeeping presence to a much more complex and demanding one. The cooperation with NATO as a regional organisation was the first of its kind for the UN.

What impact did the Cold War have on the effectiveness of the UN as a peacekeeping organisation?

It greatly constrained it. Security Council members had the power to veto UN intervention and this power was used frequently because of superpower Cold War interests.

What did the Charter document do?

It laid out the UN organisation's key objectives.

What did the Security Council do in May 2004?

Called upon the Sudanese government to disarm its feared Arab militia groups. This proved to be a futile request and went unheeded by the Sudanese authorities.

What problems were there with Resolution 1244 regarding Kosovo?

It placed a vast task on the UN administration. In effect, the UNMIK was responsible for returning a devastated Kosovo to some degree of normality. A further problem lay in the fact that security appeared to be the he UN was simply out of its depth in Kosovo and its tasks were too great to ensure success.

Why were the opponents of the UN were not willing to accept what they referred to as the Bush Doctrine?

It promoted the notion that the USA must carry out pre-emptive or anticipatory self-defence, meaning that the basis of US international relations in this new age of aggressive anti-American terrorism was to be founded upon the idea that Washington would decide what government, through its perceived links with terrorism, would be targeted.

What did Milosevic finally agree to on 3 June 1999 regarding Kosovo?

Due to the intensification of NATO bombing he agreed to end the violence in Kosovo and withdraw all Serbian forces.

What did the Dayton Peace Accords, November 1995 do?

Effectively ended the UN's peacekeeping role in Bosnia and Croatia. Introduced the NATO Implementation Force (IFOR). Among this force of 60,000 troops were 20,000 Americans.

What was the problem with UNATAET?

Essentially, the UN was offering only limited and somewhat confused consultation to the Timorese people about their future.

What did the Security Council do in July 1998, regarding Sierra Leone?

Finally established the UN Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL). Its role was to monitor the military and economic situation in the country.

What shortcoming was there with UN action in Cambodia?

It remained a fundamentally unstable state after UNTAC had left.

What did the UN do in October 1999, regarding Sierra Leone?

Implemented a more sizeable and effective Peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone, known as the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). The UNAMSIL deployment became a huge operation and saw UN forces much more militarily forceful against warring parties.

What spectacular failure was there in Yugoslavia, underlining the changed complex role of the UN?

In Iuly 1995,7,500 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were massacred in Srebrenica by Bosnian Serbs. There was little evidence of much political will on the part of UN members to set up enforcement action against this group and their supporters.

How did the UN enter the crisis?

In a traditional peacekeeping role.

What suggested the UN succeeded in Cambodia?

In the 10 years after UN withdrawal, Cambodia developed slowly as a mature liberal democracy. Despite this gradual change the UN did succeed in moving the state away from its repressive political system. Greater openness came into Cambodia and debate and criticism came to be tolerated.

How was the UN response to the Rwanda crisis viewed?

Indecisive and inadequate. There was no swift response from a substantial force deployed by a strong military power. There was no significant concerted international pressure, particularly from the USA.

What illustrated a further problem with the UN regarding Dafur?

More robust Security Council action was prevented when China and Russia abstained in a Security Council vote. The crisis illustrated that there was a clear lack of political will to stop the humanitarian crisis in the Sudan. Equally there had been no concerted attempt to prevent it in the first place.

What was the UN's role in the Persian Gulf in 1991?

More than merely a peacekeeping one. Under the direction of a US-driven intervention, the UN moved towards enforcement and away from peacekeeping.

What was the US policy doing by late January 1999 regarding Kosovo?

Moving away from diplomacy and towards a military solution.

Why couldn't the US turn to NATO to legitimise its intentions in Iraq?

NATO was also divided over its response.

When was the UN established?

October 1945

Why did the US face a growing lack of support within the UN?

Only Britain and Spain went willing to back the US demands for military action against Iraq. Ironically, the Security Council had endorsed US militaiy attacks against the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Over Iraq both France and Russia were not convinced that the USA had shown a sufficient link between Iraq and terrorist attacks against the USA.

What did the French do between June and August 1994 in Rwanda?

Operation Turquoise. This was designed to stabilise the south western part of the country. The French actually used their presence to protect some of their Hutu allies in the region.

How effective was the UN in Somalia?

Operation turned into one of enforcement rather than peacekeeping. Somalia had not been a consenting state to UN intervention. The UN faced continuous military opposition from the many warring factions. This made a peacekeeping role almost impossible.

Why was the USA reluctant to place any faith in weapons inspection agencies?

Partly because it believed that lengthy diplomacy would only undermine US military pressure on Iraq. Some believe USA was never really interested in multilateral diplomacy.

What did the UN Security Council do when Iraq invaded its oil-rich neighbour, Kuwait, in August 1990?

Passed twelve resolutions aimed at forcing Iraq to withdraw. Resolution 678 enabled member states to use 'all necessary means' to remove Iraq from Kuwait.

Views of the UN?

Some view it as an essential tool for peacekeeping and diplomacy, useful for putting pressure on aggressive states and for managing international crises. Others, however, see it as a weak organisation that puts the self-interest of its member states above humanitarian concerns, and a body that has been unable to prevent some of the World's worst violations of human rights.

What did the Security Council adopt on 10 June 1999 regarding Kosovo?

Resolution 1244 as the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). This was to undertake a largely administrative role in conjunction with NATO. Until this point the UN had taken a very marginal role in Kosovo. The role the UN assumed from Iune was new. 49,000 NATO troops were to maintain security but it was UNMIK that was to have authority over the people and territory of Kosovo and all aspects of its civil administration. UNMIK was charged with establishing self-government in the region.

What did the US do between July and August 1994 in Rwanda?

Set up Operation Support Hope. This provided some humanitarian relief.

What took place between April and Iune 1994 in Rwanda?

Some 800,000 citizens of the African state were murdered. The victims were mainly members of the minority Tutsi tribe, turned on by the majority Hutus. 2 million people were displaced and 2 million others fled as refugees.

What raised questions about US involvement in Iraq?

Substantial links between Iraq and al-Qaeda were not established, nor did Iraq have large amounts of chemical or biological weapons that were operational. Iraq did not present a danger to US security nor did it appear to be closely linked to those who did.

What did the problems in Kosovo illustrate?

That the UN's traditional approaches were becoming irrelevant. The UN did not intervene in Kosovo until a cease-fire had been established

What became increasingly clear in the post-Cold War era?

That the challenges facing the UN were significantly different from those it had faced since its inception in 1945.

What concern did the UN action regarding the first Gulf War raise?

That the coalition was dominated by US forces. Many argued the USA created an anti-Iraq coalition in order to serve US interests. The UN was presented as a tool used to promote US influence. They used political and economic power in the Security Council to ensure its own Persian Gulf agenda was fulfilled.

How effective was the UN in Cambodia?

They were effective in establishing the administrative framework for democracy and stability but the absence of superpower influence undermined the chances of that process being translated into a long-term and lasting one.

What was the situation in Cambodia by May 1993?

The UN had succeeded in managing national elections. Once held, the UN began to withdraw. The elections had been an apparent triumph for the UN - the beginnings of democracy had been established.

Why was there increasing opposition within the UN towards the US unilateralism by the start of the 21st century?

The US invasion of Iraq.

What did the UN establish regarding Yugoslavia in February 1992?

The United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR). Its immediate mandate was to 'create the conditions of peace and security required for the overall settlement of the crisis.' Its role was based on a traditional interpositionary one.

How effective were the UN in East Timor?

The elections were a success and they were carried out peacefully. UNTAET had appeared to have fulfilled its stated role. The UN's role was that of exercising almost sovereign powers in East Timor, albeit on a temporary basis. Not only did UNTAET administer East Timor, it also created laws and negotiated treaties.

What issues were there for the UN regarding Yugoslavia?

The frontier issue was an enforcement issue and there was also the question of whether the problems in Yugoslavia could be dealt with through the EU and NATO as European agencies.

What attempt was made in February 1999 at Rambouillet?

The international community attempted to broker a settlement between Yugoslavia and an Albanian Kosovar delegation. Milosevic's unwillingness to reach a compromise caused the talks to collapse.

When did the UN leave Somalia?

The last UN forces vacated Somalia in March 1995.

What did the Cambodian problem illustrate?

The limitations faced by the UN in post-Cold War peacekeeping. Theoretically, the UN could carry out its role without superpower interference. The problem was that because the superpowers no longer had specific interests, they no longer influenced their former client states.

How effective were the UN in Sierra Leone?

The mission in Sierra Leone was declared complete and successful in 2005.

What problems did the UN operation in Somalia face?

The objectives of the operation shifted from delivering humanitarian relief to nation- and state-building and the reluctance of the USA to continue its role in the action.

How successful was UNITAF in Somalia?

This force succeeded in opening a door for humanitarian aid but the basic problem remained. Somalia still did not have any form of central government or authority. Even the presence of America failed to curb the chaos.

Why was the UN ineffective in Yugoslavia?

The traditional peacekeeping entry point for the UN was the existence of a responsive host state. The most effective peacekeeping interventions during the Cold War had been those in which the conflicting sides were organised and wanted a solution. This was not the case in the former Yugoslavia.

What development happened in Somalia in December 1992?

The violence could not be contained by the small UN force and so the USA offered 27,000 troops in order to provide security for UN aid to Somalia. The Security Council set up a Unified Task Force (UNITAF) to be under American operational control. The Americans labelled the action Operation Restore Hope.

What was the situation in Sierra Leone in 1998?

The war had intensified and showed no signs of coming to a peaceful conclusion.

What was the situation in Somalia by 2003?

The worst of the humanitarian crisis had been resolved but Somalia still remained without a viable central government.

What fundamental problem did the issue of Iraq in 2003 raise that continued to face the UN as a peacekeeping organisation?

There had to be a collective authorisation for force to be used.

What did the UN do in February 1992, regarding Cambodia?

They established the United Nations Transition Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). Its role was to produce a 'just and durable settlement to the Cambodian conflict' based on free elections. It was to achieve this within 18 months.

How effective were the UN in Rwanda?

They failed to establish a secure environment in Rwanda. Considerable humanitarian aid reached Rwanda but only after the genocide had been completed. The UN 's response was one of its greatest failures.

What successes did UNATAET have?

They succeeded in organising elections and paved the way for full independence.

What happened on 20 May 2002 regarding East Timor?

They were declared independent and UNTAET was replaced by the UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET). This remained with a scaled-down peacekeeping force until 2004.

How was the UNPROFOR mandate extended by August?

To deliver humanitarian aid and the force was empowered to use 'all measures necessary' to achieve this aim. It was widened to include the creation of safe areas for refugees in Bosnia and using NATO to enforce sanctions.

What were the UN's key objectives?

To maintain international peace and security, to develop friendly relations among nations, to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems and to be a centre for harmonising the actions of nations.

What did Gorbachev's announcement in 1988 do?

Triggered a shift in US policy as Ronald Reagan publicly praised the UN's role as an international peacekeeper. He announced through the General Assembly that "the United Nations has the opportunity to live and breathe and work as never before." Both the Soviet Union and the USA agreed to pay their financial debts to the UN in order to enable it to function effectively.

What did the UN establish in June 1999 regarding East Timor?

UNAMET, the UN Mission in East: Timor with the mandate to conduct the consultation

What did the Security Council authorise regarding Somalia in May 1993?

UNOSOM II. This was to be under UN rather than US control. A period of bloody violence followed as UN forces clashed with one of the principal warlords.

What did the Security Council establish in August 1992, regarding Somalia?

United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). Aim of UNOSOM was to provide humanitarian aid.

What question faced the international community when considering intervention?

Whether it should aim to lessen humanitarian suffering or whether it should be based on the principle of the sanctity of frontiers.