Misiones de paz e intervenciones militares

Indian soldiers from Monusco, the U.N. mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, attend a ceremony in Goma honoring peacekeepers who died, on Aug. 1, 2022. Alexis Huguet/AFP via Getty Images

Europa, , , ,

On Dec. 7, 2024, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump made a proposal to French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He told them that European troops should serve as peacekeepers in the event of a peace deal in Ukraine.

It was a signal of both the United States’ unwillingness to provide Ukraine with security guarantees as well as the growing likelihood of a negotiated end to the Russia-Ukraine war. But instead of looking to European countries as the main source for such a force, negotiators should turn to the global south.

In order for any international peacekeeping mission to be successful, it is necessary for parties to the conflict to have working relations with the countries that are sending blue helmets.…  Seguir leyendo »

‘There is little point in having such strong forces and yet be a bystander as conflicts in the world have widened’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images

InternacionalONU

“Thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator, but, above all, thou shalt not be a bystander”. In suggesting this, Yehuda Bauer, Holocaust historian, rested his case wherein the ‘bystander’ was brought centre-stage and held accountable alongside the perpetrator for crimes against humanity. The ‘bystander’ implies the collective conscience of the world which must work as the weapon of the powerless. So, while the United Nations through Chapter VI of its Charter is committed to the peaceful settlement of disputes, Chapter VII of the same Charter prescribes the use of armed force with the authorisation of the Security Council in cases of aggression and breaches of peace threatening international security.…  Seguir leyendo »

A vehicle part of a US military convoy drives in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, on Sept. 17. Safin Hamid/AFP/Getty Images

MundoAméricaMundoOriente Próximo, ,

The United States is once again preparing to leave Iraq.

Reports indicate that Baghdad and Washington have agreed to wind down Operation Inherent Resolve. The remaining 2,500 American troops in Iraq will withdraw in two phases over the next two years, marking the end of the decade-long counter-Islamic State mission. Under this agreement, a contingent of U.S. forces will remain in the semiautonomous Kurdistan region to support operations in Syria.

Since engaging in the first Gulf War, the United States has never really left Iraq. Desert Storm gave way to military and humanitarian operations that established no-fly zones, monitored Iraqi forces, and enforced sanctions.…  Seguir leyendo »

EspañaDefensa,

Compartía hace dos semanas, en este espacio, mi opinión acerca del documento elaborado por el Dicasterio para la Doctrina de la Fe de la Iglesia Católica, hecho público por el Vaticano el pasado 24 de abril bajo el título «Dignitas Infinita», sobre la dignidad humana. Trataba de poner de relieve en aquellas líneas la aparente contradicción que, a mi juicio, existía en el desarrollo de dicho documento cuando, reconociendo el derecho a la legítima defensa y la responsabilidad de actuar en defensa de vidas eventualmente amenazadas, se negaba, radicalmente, el reconocimiento de cualquier acto de guerra como de un posible acto de guerra justa.…  Seguir leyendo »

United Nations peacekeepers in Khiam, Lebanon, October 2023. Aziz Taher / Reuters

InternacionalONU

Peacekeeping missions are often criticized, but rarely do critics imagine what the world would be like in their absence. In fact, multiple studies have shown that peacekeeping missions are one of the most effective tools the UN Security Council has at its disposal to prevent the expansion of war, stop atrocities, and make it more likely that peace agreements endure. In a comprehensive 2021 meta-analysis of peacekeeping operations presented in this magazine, the political scientists Barbara F. Walter, Lise Morjé Howard, and V. Page Fortna found that “peacekeeping not only works at stopping conflicts but works better than anything else experts know”, and “at a very low cost.…  Seguir leyendo »

Manifestación en apoyo de los golpistas y contra el Ejército francés, el pasado 2 de septiembre en Niamey, Níger.STRINGER (REUTERS)

MundoÁfrica, ,

El golpe de Estado militar sufrido por el Gobierno constitucional de Níger el pasado 26 de julio a manos del autodenominado Consejo Nacional para la Protección de la Patria (CNSP), plantea complejos problemas sobre la legitimidad y la conveniencia del uso de la fuerza armada para restablecer el sistema democrático de ese país. La Comunidad Económica de Estados de África Occidental (Cedeao), integrada por 15 países, entre ellos la República de Níger, ha exigido reiteradamente el restablecimiento del orden constitucional, la liberación del presidente Mohamed Bazoum y su familia y de los miembros del Gobierno detenidos ilegalmente. La Cedeao, al rechazar los golpistas toda solución pacífica y diplomática, ha amenazado con usar la fuerza armada militar si es necesario.…  Seguir leyendo »

Officers of the National Police of Niger stand guard with Nigerien soldiers during a demonstration outside the Nigerien and French air bases in Niamey on Aug. 27 AFP via Getty Images

MundoÁfrica,

On July 26, Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani detained Niger’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, and installed himself as the head of the so-called National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, a military junta. Less than a week later, on July 30, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued the junta an ultimatum: Return the former president to power within one week or face the threat of additional sanctions and military force. The region has experienced a wave of coups in recent years, and ECOWAS is rightly concerned about their spread.

That ultimatum has since expired, with Tchiani remaining steadfast, sparking a crisis for ECOWAS.…  Seguir leyendo »

Servicemen attend the "RAPID TRIDENT-2021" military exercise at Ukraine's International Peacekeeping Security Centre near Yavoriv in the Lviv region, Ukraine September 24, 2021. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Europa, , , ,

Prior to this week’s NATO summit in Brussels, Poland stirred up discussions of sending an international peacekeeping force to Ukraine. The concept, which Polish officials have emphasised is at a “preliminary” stage, is to deploy a force that could assist with humanitarian operations and would be robust enough to defend itself in combat. The proposal is unlikely to gain traction since, like the idea of a NATO-enforced no-fly zone over Ukraine, it raises the risks of direct confrontation with Russia. But peacekeeping operations come in many shapes and sizes, and it is possible that some sort of international presence will eventually be needed to support a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine.…  Seguir leyendo »

EspañaPolítica Exterior

Ruge el helicóptero de Naciones Unidas en nuestra posición 7.2. 'Miguel de Cervantes' alza el vuelo, levanta la nieve que cubre la pista, y sus motores resuenan por la base. El mismo helicóptero desde el que, en un vuelo de vigilancia sobre la 'Blue Line', cicatriz que separa Israel y Líbano, admiré el monte Hermón, místico y misterioso pico de casi tres mil metros de altura que separa Siria y Líbano. Cubierto bajo un grueso manto blanco, lo contemplé al ocaso de un rojo casi bermellón, con los últimos rayos de sol refulgiendo en su cima de hielo. Por algo el 'País de los Cedros' se llama Líbano, palabra fenicia que significa blanco: el de la nieve de sus montañas.…  Seguir leyendo »

An Afghan woman walks on the street during a snowfall in Kabul, Afghanistan, 3 January 2022. REUTERS / Ali Khara

InternacionalONUMundoOriente Próximo,

The UN Security Council faces hard choices about the future of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The UN’s role in Afghanistan has grown more important following the Taliban victory in August 2021 and the shuttering of many embassies and international organisations. UNAMA, originally launched in 2002 after the U.S. toppled the first Taliban government, has stayed in place, acting as a point of contact for engagement with the new Taliban authorities. The mission also has the potential to serve as the “eyes and ears” on the ground for outside powers and aid donors, monitoring the human rights situation and coordinating the work of UN agencies in responding to the country’s economic and humanitarian crisis.…  Seguir leyendo »

A Risky Role for Russian Peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh

MundoCáucasoEuropa, , , ,

When Russian peacekeepers arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh as part of a ceasefire deal between Azerbaijan and Armenian, they found it empty, blanketed in a thick November fog. After 44 days of brutal war, most [people] had fled, not believing the fighting was over. A year later, the region’s main city of Stepanakert is no longer a ghost town. Most of its residents have returned, followed by thousands of Armenians displaced from territories won over by Azerbaijani forces in the conflict. The scars of war are everywhere — damaged buildings, craters caused by missiles, and photos of the dead and missing hung for passers-by — but elders gossip on city stoops while children are playing in the streets once again.…  Seguir leyendo »

The Afghan War Took an Awful Toll. I Would Still Serve Again

MundoAmérica,

Was it worth it?

I don’t mean the wars — it’s nearly impossible to argue the wars were worth it, surely — but what about our service in them? Did it mean anything?

This question haunts many veterans on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Did anything we do in the years that followed matter? Worse, if the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan hurt the United States more than they helped, did our participation in them betray the country we had pledged to serve?

I was already a second lieutenant in the Army in the fall of 2001, and much of my life since then — two combat deployments to Afghanistan, one to Iraq, time back in Afghanistan as a civilian adviser, several years in the Pentagon as a senior defense official — has been shaped by America’s forever wars.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoOriente PróximoEspañaPolítica Exterior, ,

Primavera de 2010, atardecer en Qala e Naw, capital de Badghis, noroeste de Afganistán. Después de una intensa jornada de trabajo, recibo la llamada de mi teniente coronel jefe de Batallón, desplegado en la todavía muy precaria base avanzada de operaciones de Sang Atesh, a unos 60 kilómetros de mi cuartel general, y hasta hace unos días dominada por la insurgencia talibán, donde el despliegue de los legionarios españoles, junto a soldados y policías afganos, empieza a llevar la tranquilidad a la zona. Recibo novedades del día. A pesar de las duras condiciones de vida y el clima extremo, la moral de nuestros soldados es elevada.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoOriente PróximoEuropaUnión EuropeaPolítica Exterior, , ,

L’inaction aussi a son prix et il est plus que temps d’en sortir car… Rappelons l’enchaînement qui a conduit au chaos qui s’installe aux frontières de l’Europe. En Syrie, malgré la France, Barack Obama n’avait pas voulu faire respecter les lignes rouges qu’il avait lui-même tracées à Bachar Al-Assad. Son successeur s’est ensuite largement retiré du Proche-Orient pendant que l’Europe décidait de ne pas agir seule. La Russie s’est engouffrée dans ce vide pour reprendre pied dans la région aux côtés des régimes de Damas et de Téhéran.

La Russie est redevenue acteur mondial pendant que les démocraties occidentales se repliaient et Vladimir Poutine a alors décidé d’en finir avec le conflit syrien.…  Seguir leyendo »

Soldados y policías chinos sirven en ocho misiones de paz de la ONU en África. Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

MundoAsia,

China ha ido aumentando su participación en las operaciones de mantenimiento de la paz de las Naciones Unidas (NU) en África desde su primera misión en 1989, cuando la ONU se encargó de la independencia de Namibia de Sudáfrica. Desde entonces, su dotación y personal han ido aumentando.

En 2019, China donó siete mil millones de $ al mantenimiento de la paz de la ONU, que contribuyó en un 15,22% al presupuesto global para el mantenimiento de la paz. Esta cifra creció un 10,28% en 2018, y China se convirtió en el segundo mayor contribuyente financiero después de Estados Unidos. De las 14 misiones actuales para el mantenimiento de la paz, 7 se desarrollan en África, lo que supone dos tercios del presupuesto.…  Seguir leyendo »

‘Te dan unas monedas y te dejan embarazada’: 265 historias de niños haitianos abandonados por sus padres, los Cascos Azules

MundoAméricaInternacionalONU, ,

Marie* tenía 14 años y acudía a una escuela cristiana cuando conoció a Miguel, un soldado brasileño destinado en Haití como Casco Azul de la ONU. Pronto inició una relación con él. Cuando le dijo que estaba embarazada de su hijo, Miguel le aseguró que le ayudaría con el niño, pero volvió a Brasil. Marie trató de comunicarse con él vía Facebook, pero Miguel nunca respondió.

Al enterarse de que estaba embarazada, el padre de Marie la echó de casa y se fue a vivir con su hermana. Actualmente, su hijo tiene cuatro años y Marie continúa a la espera de recibir algún tipo de ayuda por parte del ejército brasileño, alguna ONG, las Naciones Unidas o el estado haitiano.…  Seguir leyendo »

Peacekeeper with the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC MONUSCO/Sylvain Liechti

MundoÁfrica,

An independent United Nations (UN) strategic review has recommended that the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) complete a phased withdrawal by 2022. Moina Spooner, from The Conversation Africa, asked Mats Berdal to give his insights into why this is happening and what the implications could be.

Why is the peacekeeping operation coming to an end?

The UN Organisation Mission in the DRC started off as a small observer force in 1999. It was deployed by the UN Security Council to monitor the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement signed in August 1999. At the time the hope was that this would mark the end of the Second Congo War.…  Seguir leyendo »

A soldier on the African Union Mission in Somalia standing guard on a street during a security operation in Mogadishu, Somalia. EPA/Tobin Jones

MundoÁfricaInternacionalONU,

In an ever more urbanising world, peacekeepers will increasingly operate in cities. In a recent article, we analysed how attacks against the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) affected the peacekeepers’ ability to operate in Mogadishu.

Cities host key logistical and political assets and institutions. They are frequently the object of fierce contestation among warring parties. Cities may also remain divided and insecure long after formal peace agreements are signed, posing significant challenges to peaceful transitions.

Securing strategically important cities and protecting key institutions are thus crucial tasks for peace operations. However, operating in densely populated urban areas brings significant challenges.…  Seguir leyendo »

EspañaPolítica Exterior,

Vivimos en un mundo cada vez más globalizado e interdependiente donde la comunicación, la economía y las amenazas a nuestra seguridad también son globales. Atrás quedaron los tiempos en los que era fácil pensar que la seguridad de nuestro país y de nuestra ciudadanía podía garantizarse con la mera defensa de nuestras fronteras. Amenazas como el terrorismo internacional, el crimen organizado o el interés por debilitar nuestras instituciones democráticas, son amenazas que no conocen fronteras y por tanto, han de ser abordadas de manera conjunta y coordinada. Precisamente este año se cumple el 30º aniversario de la primera participación de nuestras Fuerzas Armadas en una misión en el exterior en el marco de las operaciones de mantenimiento de la paz de Naciones Unidas (ONU).…  Seguir leyendo »

MASIAKA, SIERRA LEONE: A soldier of the Sierra Leone's army stands next to a direction board in Masiaka, some 100 kilometres east from Freetown 17 may 2000, on the frontline. Sierra Leonan rebel leader Foday Sankoh was arrested early today in Freetown and later handed over to the police by British troops. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) (Photo credit should read JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK/AFP/Getty Images)

MundoÁfrica,

There is one place in the world where Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, is not vilified for his part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq: a West African country where, less than three years earlier, his government’s intervention helped to end one of the most vicious conflicts in recent history. In Sierra Leone, where he is a hero, the “Blair Doctrine” was a rare case of an overseas military operation not for strategic or commercial interest, but for humanitarian purposes and in the name of an ethical foreign policy. Blair would later write in his autobiography that the episode was one of his proudest moments in office.…  Seguir leyendo »