real life picture of an NSF operative

[bonemachine149]

Actually, it's a troop in Iraq, but NSF was the first thing I thought of.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...hffix6i_photo0

[Pooeypants]

Don't you mean UNATCO as they are the "peacekeepers"?

[RobK]

Peacekeepers don't invade countries, they intervene in countries where there's a lot of civil conflict in order to....well, keep the peace.

[tetracycloide]

peacekeepers that wait until war and violence break out before 'peacekeeping' will always be fighting a loosing uphill battle.

[RobK]

Originally posted by tetracycloide
peacekeepers that wait until war and violence break out before 'peacekeeping' will always be fighting a loosing uphill battle.

Well thanks for that, but that's exactly what peacekeepers do.

[tetracycloide]

thanks neville chamberlin but by definition peacekeepers keep the peace, they don't wait for it to erupt into a war before trying to contain it. if peace isn't already present then you can't keep it. what you're describing is a peace maker someone who recognizes an area of violence and makes peace.

[RobK]

You can try to use literal definitions all you want, but peacekeeping operations happen when conflict is already happening/has already happened and the damage is done; as a rule, they're involved with supervising ceasefires and helping people pick up the pieces following civil conflicts or war.

See:
Iran/Iraq
Egypt/Israel
Saudi Arabia/United Arab Republic
Iraq/Kuwait
Croatia I
Croatia II
Bosnia
Afghanistan/Pakistan
Cambodia I
Cambodia II
East Timor
India/Pakistan
Tajikstan
West New Guinea
Nicaragua
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Angola I
Angola II
Chad/Libya
Mozambique
Somalia



In fact, the only ones I could find to support your assertation are this, and the Rwanda/Uganda mission which failed miserably.

[tetracycloide]

actually you're wrong. peacekeeping operations don't start until the violence has stoped. most of those are excelent examples of were the violence was stoped and then the peace was kept.

[RobK]

Wrongo, and way to contradict yourself:

Originally posted by tetracycloide
by definition peacekeepers keep the peace, they don't wait for it to erupt into a war before trying to contain it. if peace isn't already present then you can't keep it.

Every incident I cited has been a place where war and conflict already erupted and had come down to a simmer before peacekeepers got involved.

[tetracycloide]

how is it a contradiction to reiterate that you can't KEEP the peace unless you have it or in some cases make it? my point was originally that having a policy of making the peace you have to keep is far more costly then a policy of keeping the peace you already have.