Populo Spring 2017

Abstract

Since the end of the Cold War there has been a considerable rise in the regularity of internationalised intra-state conflicts requiring humanitarian military intervention. The United Nations (UN), accountable for enforcing and maintaining peace on a global scale has obtained the crucial responsibility of bringing such conflicts to a diplomatic conclusion. The 1990’s, representative of the new era of securitisation and humanitarianism, proved to be the ultimate testing ground for the UN’s ability to carry ou t their self-appointed obligations. I have therefore decided to analyse the crucial role of the UN within conflict- intervention throughout the 1990’s and challenge the opponents of the use of force as an effective tool of peace enforcement. New challenges facing an intervening force, alongside the frequent necessity of effective foreign intervention are so often matched with themes of imperialism, neo-colonialism and Western voracity by the modern-day scholar, increasing the prerequisite for a clear analysis of the topic, of which I hope to produce by means of the following research. I will however, argue for the much-needed reconstruction of various aspects of UN procedures, particularly in the legal legislature and efficient use of military components currently deployed. This, I believe, will address the concerns voiced by critics of the UN and military-led interventions to portray the determined approach to follow the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) decorum, devoid of Western imperialistic characteristics.

112

Made with FlippingBook HTML5