CANADA'S ROLE AS UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPER.   Term Paper ID:29759 Click to get this paper

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Paper Abstract: The country's participation in more missions than any other country. Canada's historical role as U.N. peacekeeper in post-World War II world order. Canada's decision to be the prime mover in the U.N. peacekeeping efforts as part of the nation's foreign policy. Application of human rights policy. Problem of the changing militaristic character of international peacekeeping. Paper Introduction: HAS CANADA’S ROLE AS UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPERS BEEN A SOURCE OF NATIONAL PRIDE OR SHAME? Introduction This paper explores the following question: “Has Canada’s Role as United Nations peacekeepers been a source of national pride or shame?” As Canada is a complex nation performing a difficult task in a dynamic world, formulating an answer to this question is difficult. The answer to this question, of course, is: “It depends”. The answer depends on time and place. The answer depends upon one’s conception of Canada and one’s perception of the nation’s global role. The answer depends upon whether one view’s Canada’s peacekeeping in a holistic context or whether one focuses on specific missions. The answer depends upon who one asks. To develop a rational answer to this q Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. [13] Janigan, 33. Burns because the commander of the first UnitedNations Peacekeeping mission. Black, "Human Rights in Foreign Policy: Lessons for SouthAfrica from Canadian Experience?" The International Journal of Human Rights5 (Spring 2 1): 56-57. The Americanization of Peacekeeping Operations: Implications for Canada. The UN and Peacekeeping. Hanson, and A. Theactions of some members of the Parachute Regiment in Somalia, however,manifested the first feelings of national shame among Canadians in relationto the nation's peacekeeping efforts.[18] Conclusion While the changing character of international peacekeeping, anunpleasant peacekeeping experience in Bosnia, disillusionment withpeacekeeping in Rwanda, and shame over the Somalia episode have givenCanadians reasons for sober second thoughts on the nation's role as UnitedNations peacekeepers, there remains a large residue of pride for Canada'scontribution to efforts to maintain world peace. [1 ] J. Maclean's 33-35.Jockel, J. [12] M. Stinson(Eds.), Future Peacekeeping: A Canadian Perspective (Toronto: CanadianInstitute of Strategic Studies, 2 1), 13. Ottawa, Ontario: Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, 27 November 1998. Sokolsky, The Americanization of Peacekeeping Operations:Implications for Canada (Kingston, Ontario: Centre for internationalRelations, Kingston University, 1997): 24. O., and Pratt, C. The answer depends on time andplace. "Not an Army, Just a UN Police Force". [11] J. General Burns moved to the peacekeepingmission from his role as head of the truce monitoring force in Palestine.The truce monitoring force was somewhat more than an observer mission butless than peacekeeping.[2] Since the first United Nations peacekeeping mission in 1956, therehave been 49 more, and there have been many United Nations observermissions, as well as other activities associated with keeping the peace.While Canada did not participate in all 5 of those peacekeeping missions,it did participate in most of them, and Canada has participated in far moreUnited Nations peacekeeping missions than has any other country.[3] Canada's Foreign Policy and United Nations Peacekeeping Canada's decision to be the prime mover in the United Nations'peacekeeping effort is a part of the nation's foreign policy. (Eds.). While Canadians generally have been highly supportive of the nation'sUnited Nations peacekeeping role, some elements of Canadian society haveobjected to the use of the nation's military forces in roles that militaryplanners refer to as military operations other than war (MOOTW).Additionally, the end of the Cold War brought countries such as the UnitedStates into the peacekeeping effort. Fulton, "The Collenette Shuffle: The Taint of Somalia StillPlagues the Liberals", Maclean's (14 October 1996): 3 . While Canada's policy approach toward human rights may be admirable,its application remains both uneven and slanted toward more toward Canada'sown international political and economic objectives than to the country'sconcern for universal human rights. [8] L. Todevelop a rational answer to this question in this paper, it is necessaryto consider some aspects of each of these qualifiers. Ottawa, Ontario: United Nations Association in Canada, 2 2). Canada and Peacekeeping: Three Major Debates. Alberta Report 26 (8 November 1999): 15-16.----------------------- [1] A Legault, Canada and Peacekeeping: Three Major Debates (Ottawa,Ontario: Canadian peacekeeping Press, 1999): 14. The Canadian government (led either by Prime Minister Jean Chretientoday or by Brian Mulrooney in the 198 s) tends to be much more forceful inapplying pressure in the name of human rights when the right to vote is atissue than when the right to a fair wage and human working conditions areat issue. [5] D. Burnstown, Ontario: General Store Publishing House, 2 1.Government of Canada. Retrieved from the Internet 2 3- 2-25 at: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/peacekeeping/menu-en.aspJanigan, M. "Introduction". Maclean's (14 October 1996): 3 -31.Gardam, J. K. The peacekeeping rolealso provides Canada with an admirable national identity in the world. Janigan, "John Mccallum's Troops Will Get More Money, butThat's Only the Beginning", Maclean's 33. M. Canada's record of applying itshuman rights policies to economic issues, especially so in the case ofcountries where Canadian companies hope to become major traders, is muchless exemplary. A few Canadianscomplained that Canada's peacekeeping efforts cost the national treasurytoo much. [6] R. The presence of a country with a benttoward war into the peacekeeping business makes peacekeeping a moredifficult activity for Canadians because the Americans want (insist) onbeing in charge of any operation with which they are even slightlyaffiliated.[1 ] The framework of MOOTW (which includes such activities aspeacekeeping, peacemaking, and humanitarian operations) appears to someCanadians to be inappropriate in the contemporary period.[11] OtherCanadians, however, point to the successes of Canadian peacekeepers asjustification for continuing support of the missions.[12] One cannot deny, however, that the level of Canadian peacekeepingactivities has declined since the mid-199 s. Kingston, Ontario: Centre for international Relations, Kingston University, 1997.United Nations Association. "The Collenette Shuffle: The Taint of Somalia Still Plagues the Liberals". The answer depends upon who one asks. Canada willingly engages in peacemaking operationssuch as Kosovo and the Gulf War in 1991. Rudd, J. Canadian troops joined those from the United Kingdom and theUnited States in Kosovo to protect the political rights of ethnic Albaniansfrom abuses by Serbia. one of the most important elements ofour foreign policy is dialogue. "John Mccallum's Troops Will Get More Money, but That's Only the Beginning". Future Peacekeeping: A Canadian Perspective. [18] E. A majorunderpinning of the nation's foreign policy is a commitment to humanrights. According to the Foreign Minister, to beeffective, Canada's application of human rights policies must be flexible.While some people in Canada do advocate inflexibility in the application ofhuman rights policies, most people accept the wisdom of a flexible policyapplication in relation to human rights. Peacekeeping Support Operations. Pratt, Human rights in Canadian foreignpolicy (Montreal, Quebec: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988): 87. Introduction This paper explores the following question: "Has Canada's Role asUnited Nations peacekeepers been a source of national pride or shame?" AsCanada is a complex nation performing a difficult task in a dynamic world,formulating an answer to this question is difficult.[1] The answer to thisquestion, of course, is: "It depends". Chretien, Prime Minister of Canada, Transcript of a speech tothe Canadian Club of Winnipeg, Vital Speeches 65 (15 April 1999): 392. Withrespect to concerns for human rights in China, however, the Prime Ministersaid in the same address that "... Canada did,however, motivate the United Nations to adopt a peacekeeping mission,thereby insinuating the peacekeeping process into the post-Second World Warworld order. Rather, the issue is the uneven application of the policiesconcerning human rights. Rudd, "Introduction", in D. A more volatile set of combatants increases theneed for Canadian soldiers to engage in combat. [2] United Nations Association, The UN and Peacekeeping (Ottawa,Ontario: United Nations Association in Canada, 2 2): 1. L. [17] Ibid., 13. Notes for an address by the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy to the International Conference on Universal Rights and Human Values: "A blueprint for Peace, Justice and Freedom". [9] J. Jockel, Canada and International Peacekeeping (Washington,D.C.: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1994): 11. J. Canada and International Peacekeeping. The answer depends upon one's conception of Canada and one'sperception of the nation's global role. O. [3] Government of Canada, Peacekeeping Support Operations (Ottawa,Canada: Government of Canada, 2 3): 1. Recognising that dialogue implies listeningas well as speaking".[9] Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy defended the approach of the Canadiangovernment to the administration of the human rights element of thecountry's foreign policy on the grounds that, in the contemporary world,the safety of the individual must be the paramount human rights concern ofCanada's foreign policy. "Human Rights in Foreign Policy: Lessons for South Africa from Canadian experience?" The International Journal of Human Rights 5 (Spring 2 1): 56-75.Chretien, J., Prime Minister of Canada. Canadian External Affairs Minister (and later Prime Minister)Lester Pearson proposed that the United Nations create a peacekeeping forceto intercede between the United Kingdom, France, and Israel, on the onehand, and Egypt on the other in the disputer in which the former threecountries were attempting by force to prevent Egypt from gaining control ofthe Suez Canal. The United Nations adopted Pearson's recommendation, andCanadian General E. T. Canadians in War and Peacekeeping. In Rudd, D., Hanson, J., and Stinson, A. Transcript of a speech to the Canadian Club of Winnipeg. K. Within Canada, however, political and social factionsdisagree with respect to both the comprehensiveness and the effectivenessof Canada's accommodation of human rights objectives in its foreignpolicy.[5] Matthews and Pratt contended more than a decade ago that, while aconcern for international human rights is entrenched in the rhetoric ofCanadian foreign policy, the application of its international human rightspolicy is uneven at best.[6] This criticism, essentially, remains valid in2 3. [4] J. Canada has a great record and a great international reputation as apeacekeeper nation. Vital Speeches 65 (15 April 1999): 389-392.Fulton, E. Toronto: Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies, 2 1.Sokolsky, J. The presence of UnitedStates military forces in the area changes the philosophy of thepeacekeeping effort.[14] The events that occurred in Bosnia prior to the implementation of theDayton Accord seemed to confirm fears that the veneer of ideology thatcharacterized the Cold War years was only a mask hiding deeper religiousidentities, ambitions, and prejudices. Canada throughout the lasthalf of the twentieth century led nations such as Finland, Sweden, andIndia in leading the way in international peacekeeping. Woodward, "Not an Army, Just a UN Police Force", AlbertaReport 26 (8 November 1999): 15. [16] J. Matthews and C. Gardam, Canadians in War and Peacekeeping (Burnstown, Ontario:General Store Publishing House, 2 1): 44-47. Axworthy, Notes for an address by the Honourable Lloyd Axworthyto the International Conference on Universal Rights and Human Values: "Ablueprint for Peace, Justice and Freedom" (Ottawa, Ontario: Department ofForeign Affairs and International Trade, 27 November 1998): 1. [7] Black, 59. The answer depends upon whetherone view's Canada's peacekeeping in a holistic context or whether onefocuses on specific missions. [15] Sokolsky, 25. BibliographyAxworthy, L. gc.ca/english/news/ statements/98_state/98_ 79e.htmBlack, D. What they tend to reject,however, is an interpretation of flexibility in policy application thatallows certain types of human rights abuses to continue in the absence ofovert diplomatic and economic pressures being brought to bear on offendinggovernments by the government of Canada regardless of the merits of thesituation. Most Canadians, however, were exceptionally proud of the globalrole played by Canada in maintaining world peace and promoting human rightsin the process.[16] In the mid-199 s, Jockel observed that: "Enthusiasm is so great in theCanadian public nowadays that for a government to refuse involvement in anoperation now would mean to brave substantial criticism at home".[17] The problems experienced by Canadian peacekeepers in Bosnia cooledsome, but not all, of Canada's enthusiasm for peacekeeping operations. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian peacekeeping Press, 1999.Matthews, R. has canada's role as united nations peacekeepers been a source of national pride or shame? It wasinto this maw that Canadian soldiers and the armed forces of other nationsentered Bosnia as peacekeepers.[15] The Americans, however, quickly triedto change the term to peacekeepers to peacemakers - much more in tune witha wild-west approach to life. Prime Minister Chretien said that thedeployment of Canadian troops in Kosovo was to promote human rights. Retrieved from the Internet 2 3- 2-23 at: http://www.dfait-maeci. Canadians have a unique position towardspeacekeeping among the nations of the world. When the issue is prison labour in China or childlabour in India or below subsistence-level wages in Indonesia, however, theCanadian government opts for an emphasis on "quiet diplomacy" and"constructive engagement".[7] The Canadian federal government policies on human rights recognise thebroad spectrum of issues included within the framework of the concept ofhuman rights.[8] Thus, there is little argument concerning thecomprehensiveness of Canada's accommodation of human rights in its foreignpolicy. Ottawa, Canada: Government of Canada, 2 3. Importantly,however, it is necessary to place Canada's United Nations peacekeepingfunctions in a Canadian perspective, because this is the lens through whichCanadians evaluate the nation's peacekeeping role, Canada's Historical Role as United Nations Peacekeepers Canada did not, as some writers aver, invent peacekeeping.Peacekeeping, under a variety of names, has been around for much longerthan the United Nations and predated the League of Nations. J. Canada's peacekeeping role is fully consistent with the nation'scommitment to human rights.[4] Canada enjoys a positive international reputation in relation to humanrights. Where once Canada was theleading supplier of peacekeeping troops to the United Nations, the nationin 2 3 counts only 269 Canadian soldiers among the more than 4 , activeUnited Nations peacekeeping troops.[13] The operations in the Balkans changed the scope of Canadianpeacekeeping operations. Washington, D.C.: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1994.Legault, A. Human rights in Canadian foreign policy. [14] D. The world generally perceives Canada as a country with a humanface that protects the human rights of its own citizens while pursuinginternational relations through policies designed to promote human rightsin all countries. Moslems, Croats, and Serbs were atone another's throats, and it appeared that they had been biding their timefor four decades or more to be able to engage in such activity. Canadian Public Support for Peacekeeping Canada's role as United Nations peacekeepers has long been a source ofpride for most Canadians. Retrieved from the Internet 2 3- 2-25 at: http://www.unac.org/en/link_learn/fact_sheets/peacekeeping.aspWoodward, J. Montreal, Quebec: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988.Rudd, D. T. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.