Collective Security and the United Nations

Paper Summary:

The notion of collective security has evolved from a simple system of mutual protection for nation states, to a comprehensive understanding that all people deserve to have their fundamental human rights upheld. This paper discusses collective security: What the term means and how it has been implemented with specific examples from United Nations peacekeeping operations, highlighting the successes and failures of UN collective security in the twentieth century.

From the Paper:

"A sizable US peace enforcement mission took control from the UN and had some initial success but the force was reduced and handed back to the UN after which the situation got out of hand. The UN forces in Mogadishu were unable to carry out their mandate effectively and found themselves in a state of urban warfare rather than peacekeeping, as their attempt to establish democracy undermined the warlords' goals. Essentially, peacekeeping forces were inserted into a society where there was no peace to keep. Peace enforcers with military might to show, followed at a later stage by peacekeepers accompanied by a civilian administration and police force, would likely have met with more success in this situation."

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