Canada The Congo Crisis And Un Peacekeeping 1960 64

In 1960 the Republic of Congo teetered near collapse as its first government struggled to cope with civil unrest and mutinous armed forces. When the UN established a peacekeeping operation to deal with the crisis, the Canadian government faced a difficult decision. Should it support the intervention? By offering one of the first detailed accounts of Canadian involvement in a UN peacekeeping mission, Kevin Spooner reveals that Canada’s involvement was not a certainty: the Diefenbaker government had immediate and ongoing reservations about the mission, reservations that challenge cherished notions of Canada’s commitment to the UN and its status as a peacekeeper.

Essay from the year 2009 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: Africa, language: English, abstract: The role of the United Nations and the West in the Congo between 1960 and 1964 can only be characterised as a tragedy. We are still witnessing the consequences of the myopic and misguided policies that were pursued by UN officials and western leaders at the time. This paper elucidates the story of how Lumumba was first betrayed and then murdered. It analyses how historians and political scientists have treated the conflict and suggests ways in which scholars from the two disciplines can cooperate better and learn from one another. The paper reverts to international relations theories that adequately explain what happened between 1960 and 1964.This essay critically examines why UN intervention in the Congo failed to achieve the intended peace that constituted the rationale behind its intervention. The essay will argue that perceptions and misperceptions among UN members exacerbated a rift between the UN and the realities of the conflict. And the Cold War ideology at the time and Belgium's support for Moise Tshombe to secede Katanga because of their hatred for Patrice Lumumba, greatly hampered UN mission as a peace machinery.

Based on interviews and on documentary collections in Britain, Sweden and the US, this book describes and analyses Britain's often-tortured response to the crisis which occurred in Congo immediately following its independence. Principally, it throws much fresh light on British policy. But it also examines the impact of the crisis on Britain's status as a great power; reveals important new material about the UN's conduct of its peacekeeping operation in the Congo; and draws lessons about the conduct of contemporary peacekeeping.

The UN and Intra-State Conflict: Problematising the Normative Connection * Rethinking the UN Through Intra-State Peacekeeping: the Analytical Framework * The UN's Role in Historical Context: Impact of Structural Tensions and Thresholds * UN Peacekeeping in Intra-State Conflicts: Evolution of the Normative Basis * The UN in the Congo Conflict: ONUC * The UN On the Cyprus Conflict: UNFICYP * The UN in the Angola Conflict: UNAVEM * The UN in the Cambodia Conflict: UNTAC * Reflections on International Normative Change.

"This book ... attempts to trace the role of law in influencing the decisions taken in a situation of appalling complexity.""--Back cover.