Prospects for peacekeeping.

Peacekeeping traditionally involved the positioning of impartial forces between combatants. The best known, and perhaps most successful, of Canada's peacekeeping missions was the first United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in the Middle East. UNEF was a Canadian idea, commanded initially by a Canadian soldier. Many in Canada saw it as an excellent example of how a middle power could offer impartial diplomacy as well as equipment and personnel to help defuse international conflicts. Peace between Israel and its Arab neighbours held for a decade between 1956-1967, and Canada's foreign minister, Lester Pearson, won the Nobel Peace Prize for proposing UNEF to the United Nations.

But UNEF left the Middle East in 1967, and war broke out once again between Arabs and Israelis. Pearson had feared this, because no peacekeeping measures had been provided for in his resolution. Peacekeeping is no longer the mere intervention of impartial forces to keep the peace, a military role that has suited an unmilitary people like Canadians. A chief dilemma of many such operations today is the marked absence in troubled regions of any peace to keep. Future missions may therefore require a post-conflict peacebuilding role, which will call for troops that have a mandate to fight. Because of the recent hostage situations in Somalia and the Balkans, Canada and other peacekeepers will be more selective in accepting such missions. Clearer policies are now being developed regarding division of responsibility, command structures and clear rules of engagement. This will allow both commanders and their troops to better understand their duties.

Despite this challenge, the 1994 Defence White Paper has increased by 3000 the number of Canadian soldiers that can be called upon to serve in United Nations peacekeeping operations. This shows a continued Canadian commitment to what has become a logistically demanding, expensive, and dangerous military role.