UNIT 8: UN PEACEKEEPING IS HAMSTRUNG BY NATIONAL

RULES FOR ITS TROOPS

B. PRE-READING TASKS
II. Vocabulary tasks
1. Words and Expressions
1–F
2–J
3–A
4–H
5–B
6–D
7–C
8–E
9–G
10 – I

2. Fill in each blank with the correct form of the words from Exercise 1
a. patrol
b. mandate
c. national caveats
d. blue helmets
e. contingent
f. antagonism
g. presage
h. think-tank
i. oversee
j. blatant

C. COMPREHENSION TASKS
I. Words and expressions
1. their pleas unheeded
=> Their calls for help ignored by UN peacekeeping troops

2. cast a troubling light

=> Highlight a vexing problem

3. “de facto” lines of command

=> instructions that are followed in practice
4. add humiliating precision to the accusations of dereliction of duty
=> further support the disgraceful allegations of irresponsibility

5. losing some of their punch

=> weakening in force

6. proportional-representation systems
=> polities in which the distribution of seats in the legislative body is linked with
the proportion of votes for each party

II. Comprehension questions

1. What are the concerns and criticisms expressed by the residents of Mubambiro
regarding the effectiveness of UN peacekeepers? Which incident exemplifies that
these problems are not recent but longstanding?
The inhabitants of Mubambiro complained that the UN peacekeepers were so
inactive that they barely responded to attacks against civilians amid insecurity. The
killing of 38 Burundians within 150 metres of a UN base in Kamanyola solidified
the chronic nature of these issues, as the UN Blue Helmets did not provide any aid
for the victims.

2. How does the caveat system, as discussed in the article, present a challenge to the
effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations?
The national caveat system procrastinates the UN peacekeepers’ response. Despite
UN authorisation, the UN peacekeeping operations are reported to barely use force
to protect the local civilians, due to the tight national restrictions imposed on the
troops to mitigate risks. Since certain caveats remain hidden, the UN Blue Helmets
thereby secretly attain a right to disobey the instructions from UN commanders,
which further delays the peacekeepers’ response amid emergencies.

3. What reforms have been initiated as potential solutions to address the criticism
regarding UN peacekeeping efforts?
The potential reforms include changes in tactics, policy and mindset concerns.
Furthermore, the caveat system is changed so that undisclosed caveats should be
rendered disobedience of lawful command.

4. What factors give rise to the heightened competition among countries

contributing soldiers to UN missions? Furthermore, what incentives drive these
countries to actively contribute to UN missions?
First, the UN now rejects contingents with restrictive instructions. Secondly, they
also expel national troops that failed to deliver, as proven in the case of India.
Additionally, financial drives are also utilised, as each soldier is paid by the UN
monthly wages of $2100 to initiate competition between countries, and the military
contribution of Fiji exemplifies this.

5. Why do insiders express scepticism about the possibility of eliminating caveats in

UN missions? What are the characteristics of countries facing the most severe
caveat problems?
Insiders doubt the complete extermination of caveats in UN peacekeeping as no
country would give the UN total freedom to command their troops. Also, amid the
rising hostility and competition between Western countries and China and Russia,
the cooperation is likely to weaken within the UNSC, thus raising concerns about
the return of national caveats in UN peacekeeping missions.

III. Understanding the article

1. Paragraph 1
2. Paragraph 3
3. Paragraph 5
4. Paragraphs 7
5. Paragraph 8
6. Paragraph 9
7. Paragraphs 11

IV. Reading for the gist

The article highlights the shocking failures of UN peacekeeping missions, due to the
procrastination caused by secretive national caveats, and outlines potential
solutions, including rejection and expulsion of inactive troops and financial
incentives, but such reforms do not fully eliminate the deployment of national
restrictions.

V. Summary
The peacekeeping missions of the UN are inefficient as secretive national caveats
imposed on its soldiers procrastinate operations amidst emergencies. This
procrastination's detrimental impact is proven by statistics demonstrating the UN’s
failures to protect local civilians. To address caveat problems, the UN has
implemented several solutions, including rejecting and expelling underperforming
troops and providing financial incentives for nations to tempt military contributions.
However, the total extermination of caveats remains unlikely due to national
interests and the downgrading of cooperation triggered by mounting antagonism
between the West, Russia and China.