hotographs that depicted the horrors of the concentration camps and thousands fleeing from their homes ahad triggered unpleasant memories of the past- WWII. As Samuel Totten pointed out, despite these historical connotations, no country was willing to intervene and endure those costs. For instance, although the United States played a significant role in the United Nations, because the European community decided to take on primary responsibility for Bosnia, the United States did little to alleviate the atrocities, Except the United States was a powerful international player and it was involved in the Cold War. To the United States, the Yugoslavia played an important part in the Cold War, so naturally it was determined to maintain a strong base …show more content…
Although the commanders of UNPROFOR were willing to accept the duties of peace enforcement, they were not given the proper resources- sufficient troops and command. There were numerous organizational dysfunctions prevalent in UNPROFOR. All decisions had to be “approved by the Secretary- General’s special representative, who also happened to be the key mediator in the withstanding Bosnian peace talks”. John G. Heidenrich criticized its dual-key approval system, that at any time a UN soldier wished to enlist the help of a NATO-flown air strike, his request had to be approved by an entire chain of command, from the UNPROFOR ’s commander in Bosnia and then by the Secretary General’s Special Representative. Since there were so many people involved, it was common to defer or veto an airstrike. It was ineffective.
The deteriorating situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina pushed UN Security Council to declare six Bosnian Muslim enclaves to be “safe areas and was guaranteed protection by a contingent of UN peacekeepers in order to provide protection for thousands of refugees , under Chapter VIII of its peace-enforcement provisions”. Unfortunately, the issue of demilitarization and factors like bombing, food and drug shortages made it a place of suffering, rather than protection. The definition of safe area was certainly
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Although the UNTAC was largely touted as a great success, it was, in fact flawed on numerous counts. The peacekeeping mission in Cambodia was considered “one of the largest and most expensive in UN history, employing over 87,000 people”. Although the UNTAC was designed to assist with the problems and consequences of war, it was only able to alter some of Cambodia’s institutions; not necessarily conclude the civil war and ensure the wellbeing of the local