New Delhi, India -- A peacekeeping force is a good idea that often has given the United Nations a bad name. There is a U.N. force in Lebanon right now -- the U.N. Interim Force -- but where and this force is engaged is anyone's
guess.
The first essential for making effective a peacekeeping force is clarifying its mission statement: What is peace? It isn't an absence of war, but rather an elimination of conflict. The latter requires more than just beat cops. Secondly, the force must have the strength to control, if not cow, combatants. It's a huge undertaking when one side is Israel. Even if U.N. troops are not sent to Lebanon, the invasion will end: Israel cannot keep bombing civlians.
The word is out that Washington and London have given Israel a number of days in which to deplete Hezbollah's resources by whatever means Israel considers necessary. Then the peacemakers will arrive, possibly with peacekeepers. But this cancer in the Middle East will not be cured with a BandAid. Israel needs to consider how much anger it has created in the hearts of the undecided, and whether, in the long run, its actions unintentionally might have fostered support and sympathy for Hezbollah. It is often said that war should not be left to the generals. Likewise, peace should not be left to the peacekeepers.
Please e-mail PostGlobal if you'd like to receive an email notification when PostGlobal sends out a new question.
