After the Cold War
Main Topics:
Canada’s International Reputation
Canada’s Contributions to World Peace
Peacekeeping changed radically once the
Cold War was over!
More missions
Different types of missions
More peacekeeping organizations
New roles for peacekeepers
More Missions
There have been over 40 peacekeeping
missions since 1990 .
The UN alone currently has 16 active
peacekeeping missions – these cost an
average of $5 billion per year.
Currently, over 88,000 peacekeepers from
113 different countries are deployed
throughout the world!
UN peacekeeping missions - dark blue represents
current missions.
Different Missions
Peacekeepers now keep the peace within
states as well as between states.
Peacekeeping has turned more into
peacemaking: it has become a matter of
creating peace where it does not exist.
More Organizations
The UN is no longer the world’s only
peacekeeping organization!
Other peacekeeping organizations:
NATO
Organization for African Unity
Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe
New Roles for Peacekeepers
Train and organize local police
Remove mines
Conduct fair elections
Assist the return of refugees
Protect human rights
Intervene to prevent humanitarian disasters.
Peacekeepers distributing rice in East Timor
Peacekeeping and Canada
Ever since the end of the Cold War, Canada
has been involved in peacekeeping activities
throughout the world.
Iraq (1991)
In 1991, Canada participated in the first Gulf War
as part of a UN force.
Canadians helped to push the Iraqi army out of
Kuwait.
We participated with our air force, our army and
our navy!
Yugoslavia (1992-1995)
After the fall of Communism in 1991,
Yugoslavia began to break apart.
Yugoslavia was made up of many different
ethnic groups, and they all wanted to become
independent.
Problem: Some Yugoslavian provinces had
ethnically mixed populations. What country
would these people belong to?
Result:
Wars broke out between the Serbs, the
Croats and the Bosnian Muslims.
UN peacekeepers were sent to the region in
order to force the rival armies apart.
In both Croatia and Bosnia, the
peacekeepers were unable to stop
massacres and ethnic cleansing from taking
place.
Somalia (1992)
In 1992, soldiers of the Canadian Airborne
Regiment were sent to Somalia as part of a
very difficult peacekeeping mission:
Somalia had been devastated by civil
war and famine.
There was no central government, as
gangs ran parts of the country and
controlled the distribution of food aid
coming from other countries.
Somalia (1992)
During this mission, an event took place
that permanently harmed the reputation of
Canadian soldiers and UN peacekeepers.
The Somalia Affair:
Somalia (1992)
Read the handout titled “Death of Shidane
Arone” and respond to the following:
Explain why this event harmed the
reputation of the entire Canadian military and
not just the reputation of those who were
directly involved in the crime.
Describe the Canadian government’s
response to this event.
Rwanda (1994)
In 1994, there was a civil war in the small
African nation of Rwanda, as two ethnic
groups, the Tutsis and the Hutus fought for
power.
The Hutus won and began to organize a
genocide against the Tutsis.
Result:
A UN peacekeeping force was sent to protect the
Tutsis.
Problem: UN members contributed only 3,000
troops to this force.
Problem: The UN peacekeepers were attacked,
and most counties removed their soldiers.
Result: 500 peacekeepers were left with the task
of stopping the genocide.
The peacekeeping mission was led by Canadian
General Romeo Dallaire.
Dallaire warned the international community
that a genocide would take place, but his pleas
for help were ignored.
Result:
Over 1,000,000 people were killed in the
genocide.
Dallaire later wrote a book in which he claimed
that “the international community ha[d] blood on its
hands.”
Do you agree with Dallaire’s statement? Write a
point-from list of reasons to support your position.