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August 21, 2006

Blue Helmets: UN Peacetakers?

 

 

Angel at Woman Honor Thyself blog lays out the ugly truth in another excellent piece about UN peacekeepers in Africa and elsewhere and asks whether societies are always healthier after the blue helmets than they were beforehand.

 

One of the most egregious of human rights violations of course has been the sexual abuse of women and underage girls at the hands of these “peacekeepers”. The fact that many of the so-called peacekeepers hail from hardline or dictatorial (and at time strongly misogynistic) regimes seems also evidence of politics over practicality being the chief factor in their selection.

 

The fact is that the damage done by these wolves in sheep’s clothing can be far worse than that done in their absence with respect to destroying any hope for justice outside a war-torn region. This loss of hope may at the end of the day be the most damaging thing for families who would like to rise above the atrocities already committed against them by rival factions. It is also noteworthy to point out that where there is abuse, more violence, not less in the long run is likely to come of it. Since women are the backbone of any society, if they are unhealthy, then too most likely will be their progeny. Similarly, even the fabric among their peers is disrupted, which too will impede the progress of the culture as a whole both economically and politically.

 

Can instability in a particular locale be a beneficial thing for some outside interests? Certainly. We already know that states past and present like Nazi Germany, The Soviet Union, North Korea, Iran, China, etc. along with terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Al Qaeda all look for unstable states (e.g. Sudan, Ethiopia, Lebanon) in which they can freely exploit the people and natural resources for their benefit. There is additionally the chance to sell arms to a strife-ridden area so that profits may be made and better knowledge of new weapon systems may be gauged. Such groups are also happy to find such chaotic cover to do other business undetected. Whether UN peacekeepers in particular who happen to come from harsh regimes have this in mind is probably doubtful, but the results of their behavior are cause for significant concern not just for the individual victims left in their wake, but in the broader geopolitical sense.

 

 

RELATED: BBC February 2006: "Peacekeeper Sex Abuse 'Too High'" (as if there were some acceptable level...)

 

Posted by Martin at August 21, 2006 05:51 PM

Comments

Posted by: Angel at August 22, 2006 02:48 PM