Books - April 15, 1992
United Nations Peacekeeping and the Non-Use of Force
F.T. Liu (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1992)
The principle of non-use of force except in self-defence is central to the concept of UN peacekeeping. But its application has at times given rise to serious difficulties and controversy. The determination of whether - and when - force should be used is possibly the most difficult decision a peacekeeping operation can face. F.T. Liu recounts how this principle was formulated and analyzes problems that UN peacekeeping operations have encountered in its implementation. He notes that many of these problems arose because of the rivalry between the two superpowers, as well as the weakness of the Security Council, during the Cold War; with the end of the Cold War, though, and the resurgence of the Council, it is possible to make peacekeeping operations more effective, without altering the non-use-of-force principle. Liu proposes, among other actions, the establishment of two-tier peacekeeping forces with the participation of the major powers, thus enabling the UN to play a more useful role in the Middle East, in Cambodia, and in complex civil war situations as in Yugoslavia and Somalia.
For more on this book by Lynne Rienner Publishers, please click here.
The Global Observatory
New Book by “Ground Zero” Imam: Moderation in the Face of Extremism
While promoting interfaith understanding, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf was attacked by extremists who used the issue to fan the flames of Islamophobia.
Key Global Events to Watch in May
A list of key upcoming meetings and events with implications for global affairs.
The Global Observatory is a new website by IPI, providing timely analysis on peace and security issues, interviews with leading policymakers, interactive maps, and more.
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Recent Events
May 10, 2012
Arbour: What the Rule of Law Means
“In my understanding of the rule of law, fundamentally, what the rule of law means is that it embraces the principle of equality before the law,” Louise Arbour, president of the International Crisis Group (ICG), told an IPI audience on May 10, 2012. Ms. Arbour outlined that this means that no one is above the law and everyone has both equal protection and equal benefit of the law. 
May 03, 2012
Shachtman: Cyber Threats Akin to South Bronx, Not Pearl Harbor
“There’s not a danger of a cyber Pearl Harbor… it’s more like the South Bronx circa 1999, where there’s a danger that it becomes such a tough neighborhood that no one wants to set up shop there and people move out,” Noah Shachtman, editor of the Danger Room blog at Wired magazine and non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution, told an IPI audience at a panel on cyber security on May 3, 2011.
April 27, 2012
Preventing Conflicts in Africa: The Role of Early Warning and Response Systems
An April 27th roundtable discussion at IPI titled “Preventing Conflicts in Africa: The Role of Early Warning and Response Systems” examined the progress, prospects and challenges of regional and international early warning and response mechanisms to monitor, anticipate, and mitigate potential conflict situations in Africa.