The Pros And Cons Of UN Peacekeeping

Chapter 2: Successes

Whilst it is common cause that the UN has been plagued with failures in its attempts to fulfil its purpose, it cannot be said that the UN’s Peacekeeping efforts have been without success, as is demonstrated by the Nobel Peace Prize received in 1988 by the UN for its Peacekeeping efforts. Even its greatest detractors grudgingly admit that the organisation has been not only successful in some endeavours, but instrumental in both preventative and resolutionary functions as far as conflict is concerned, and despite differing opinions on how to determine whether a UN Peacekeeping operation can be considered successful, there are certain instances which both detractors and supporters of the organisation alike agree, to varying

Unable, or unwilling, to deal with the conflict that had arisen, Portugal withdrew from East Timor, leaving Indonesia to step in in its place and integrate the region as its 27th province in 1976. The United Nations did not recognise this integration and subsequently, at the request of the General Assembly, regular talks aimed at resolving the status of East Timor were held between Portugal and Indonesia from 1982 to 1998 when Indonesia’s proposal to grant limited autonomy of East Timor within Indonesia broke the barrier and allowed talks to proceed rapidly. In May 1999 these talks culminated in a set of agreements signed by Indonesia and Portugal, entrusting the UN organise and conduct a “popular consultation” in the territory aimed at determining whether the East Timorese people would accept the proposal of a special autonomy for East Timor within the Republic of

Of the 451,792 people registered to vote on the 30th of August 1999, an astonishing 98% went to the polls and an overwhelming majority of 344,580 (78.5%) rejected the proposed autonomy in favour of independence. Dissatisfied with this outcome, pro-integration militias who were at times aided by Indonesian armed forces embarked on a campaign of violence throughout East Timor which resulted to the displacement of approximately 500,000 people from their homes and the execution of some 3000-4000 people. Notwithstanding clear commitments made under the May agreements, Indonesian authorities failed to provide an effective response to the spreading violence and mid-September had begun withdrawing from the area. The Security Council authorised International Force East Timor (INTERFET), a multinational force created with the express purpose of restoring peace and stability to the troubled region while providing UNAMET with the necessary protection and support to allow it to continue its mandated tasks and to aid in humanitarian assistance operations where possible. This was soon after followed by the United Nations Transitional Administration