ASSESSING THE SUCCESS OF UN PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST A thesis submitted to the Kent State University Honors College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Departmental Honors by Reuben Francis April, 2020 Thesis written by Reuben Francis Approved by _____________________________________________________________________, Advisor ______________________________________________, Chair, Department of Political Science Accepted by ___________________________________________________, Dean, Honors College ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES…..………………………………………………………………..……………..…….iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………………….……………….…...v CHAPTERS I. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………….….…………….………1 II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND………………………………..…………………..…….6 III. PEACEKEEPING TODAY………………………………………..……….……………17 IV. LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………..…………………….……18 V. DEFINING SUCCESS……………………………………..……………….……………21 VI. 1) UNTSO…………………………………………………………………..……………28 VII. 2) UNEF I………………………………………………………………..….……………32 VIII. 3) UNOGIL………………………………………………………...…………….,...……35 IX. 4) UNYOM…………………………………………………...…………………….……43 X. 5) UNEF II ………………………………………………………………………….……47 XI. 6) UNDOF ………………………………………………………………………….……52 XII. 7) UNIFIL ……………………………………….………………………………….……55 XIII. 8) UNIIMOG ……………………………………………………………………….……67 XIV. 9) UNIKOM……………………………………………………..………………….……71 XV. 10) UNSMIS …………………………………………………….………………….……77 XVI. RESULTS & IMPLICATIONS …………………………………..……..………….……81 XVII. CONCLUSION…………….. …………………………………………………..….……92 BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………..……………………………………..……...96 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. ………………………………………………………………………………………….29 Figure 2. …..…………………………………………………………..………………………….83 iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the support of those around me. First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge my thesis advisor, Dr. Gabriella Paar-Jakli, whose guidance has been crucial towards the development, initiation and execution of this project. I would also like to thank my secondary advisor, Dr. Timothy Scarnecchia, for assisting me with the challenging task of addressing two academic disciplines in one thesis. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Richard Robyn and Dr. Don-John Dugas for putting in the time and effort to participate on my Oral Defense Committee. Finally, I would like to thank my thesis coordinator, Lori Michael, for supporting me throughout the whole process. Thank you all for helping me turn my vague ideas into a truly meaningful project that I can be proud of. v 1 Introduction The United Nations means different things to different people. To some, it is the champion of cooperation and diplomacy, critical to maintaining international peace. To others, it is a weak and ineffective organization, doomed to fail like its predecessor, the League of Nations. This thesis will examine the accuracy of these characterizations as well as assess the successfulness of the United Nations. Although the Charter of the United Nations states four main goals for the organization, for the purpose of this project, “successfulness” will be determined by the UN’s ability to adhere to the first of these principal criteria: to maintain peace and security. The UN has attempted to achieve this goal all over the globe, having launched throughout its existence a variety of initiatives in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The abundance of information regarding such initiatives makes it challenging to conduct an in-depth examination of them in an effort to assess the UN’s level of success. Given this reality, limiting this examination to a single region is more realistic. Consequently, this project will look at UN efforts in the Middle East, a region that has become a hotbed for conflicts in the modern era and has drawn significant attention from throughout the globe. By considering UN peacekeeping initiatives in the Middle East as a case study we can address the following research question: “How successful has the United Nations been at maintaining peace and security in the Middle East?” The research design of this thesis makes use of the comparative case study method, which makes an in-depth examination of multiple cases that share a common 2 focus and involves finding similarities, differences and patterns.1 A comparative case study is employed for such an examination because this allows for a thorough analysis over a long period of time that can help us understand how the specific context of an operation can influence its potential for success. One method of determining how successful the United Nations has been towards maintaining peace and security in the Middle East is by assessing the organization’s peacekeeping operations in the region. Such a scope provides ten UN peacekeeping operations for this paper to consider. In chronological order, they are: UNTSO, UNEF I, UNOGIL, UNYOM, UNEF II, UNDOF, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNIKOM and UNSMIS. Three of these operations (UNTSO, UNDOF, UNIFIL) are currently ongoing while the other seven have already been concluded. By conducting a comprehensive analysis of these Middle Eastern UN peacekeeping operations and the conflicts each responded to, we can gain a better understanding of the general capabilities of UN peacekeeping operations. Although this paper takes a critical look at peacekeeping, it is nonetheless important to keep in mind that UN peacekeepers, also known as the Blue Helmets, have one of the hardest jobs in world since they “operate in places rife with ruthless militias, abusive armies, corrupt officials, and shabby infrastructure” and are given “precious few resources with which to accomplish their ambitious mandates.”2 With an annual budget that equals only 0.5% of global military spending, they are expected to resolve conflicts that break out throughout the world.3 However, even if we acknowledge that UN 1 Delwyn Goodwrick, Comparative Case Studies, (Florence: UNICEF Office of Research, 2014), 1. 2 Séverine Autesserre, “The Crisis of Peacekeeping: Why the UN can’t end wars,” Foreign Affairs 98, no. 1 (2019). 3 Chandrima Das, “7 key facts about UN peacekeeping,” United Nations Foundation, February 27, 2018. 3 peacekeepers have a truly challenging task on their hands, that does not mean that we should overlook all of their shortcomings. The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations’ (DPKO) own officials have stated that “we need to be harsh in our judgements” so that the Blue Helmets aren’t simply “turning up and spending some money and not achieving anything.” 4 A critical assessment of their operations in the Middle East can only serve to improve their performance in the region. However, analyzing the operations and judging their level of success will be more effective if we also consider other factors that are deemed necessary for success. Such success factors can be determined directly from this thesis’s analysis, but we can also benefit from examining what scholars and UN officials have asserted such factors should be and comparing their recommendations with our results. By doing so, we can present suggestions for how peacekeepers can replicate their past accomplishments to achieve a greater success rate for their peacekeeping operations. From saving human lives to sustaining peace and security, the implications for this greater success rate are truly tremendous and plentiful. To support the arguments presented, this paper will make use of a range of vital primary and secondary sources. Key findings will be supported by evidence in the form of reports, resolutions, telegrams, letters, treaties and other primary documents as preserved in collections such as the UN’s digital library, the U.S. State Department’s documentary record, and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ archives. The use of these primary sources, coming directly from the individuals responsible for facilitating 4 Duane Bratt, “Assessing the success of UN peacekeeping operations,” International Peacekeeping 3, no .4 (1996): 78. 4 peacekeeping operations, is critical for understanding the true impact of UN peacekeeping initiatives upon the Middle East. Influential secondary sources, notably Paul Diehl’s International Peacekeeping and Duane Bratt’s “Assessing the Success of UN Peacekeeping Operations from 1945 to 1996,” will also receive due consideration. Such studied helped provide a foundation for this paper’s research by conducting some of the first scholarly inquiries on the success rate of UN peacekeeping initiatives. To accomplish this analysis, this paper will begin by considering the general historical background of the United Nations and its peacekeeping endeavors, so that we may better comprehend the context within which our analysis takes place. This will be followed by a section devoted to the crucial task of defining the criteria that this thesis will make use of to determine a peace operation’s level of success. This defining success section will also consider the proposals put forth by other scholars, while the following literature review section will analyze the peacekeeping-related research of these scholars, as well as the UN itself, in greater detail. This will finally be followed by a thorough analysis of each of the ten UN peacekeeping missions that have operated in the Middle East and the conflicts that they responded to. The extent to which they satisfy our predetermined parameters of success, as well as their overall level of achievement, will be determined towards the end of their respective sections. The final section shall present the results of