I don't mean to bang on but......
Trukkie
Didn't the mighty US of A come a cropper trying to sort out a similar problem in Somolia? Being 'peacekeepers' in the middle of a civil war alongside ineffective UN troops?
Similar? No. A cropper? Yes. Peacekeepers? No. The UN mission (UNOSOM I think) was more about peacemaking and nation building. The US, operating mainly outwith the UN structure, set about hunting down one bloke (Aideid) which ultimately led to the so-called Battle of Mogadishu we all know from the films. It was a fear of similar images of dead US troops being dragged through the streets (along with broader, geopolitical issues) that led the US to dig their heels in over Rwanda. Both Clinton and Albright now acknowledge they were wrong - having seen both apologise on film, it goes way beyond trite political contrition.
I would suggest that european troops would be seen as invaders and would probably make the situation worse and maybe unite the warring factions.
That's a little simplistic and, given the likelihood of the factions
ever uniting, very unlikely. European troops could be talked up into "white devils" by the various random generals etc but they're not preaching to a very large audience and certainly not on a national scale. You are correct to state that the UN is by and large a toothless tiger but it is worth noting that we in the west generally keep it that way. It has been suggested that keeping the UN force at low levels in Rwanda actually in some ways contributed to the subsequent violence. Those involved assumed, correctly, that the UN had neither the stomach nor the resources to stop what they had planned. How right they were.
PN -
The crucial word here is west and the use of helicopters from those countries not committed elsewhere.
And there are a lot of them not committed elsewhere. Overstretch here doesn't mean the same in Europe, Australia, NZ, Asia etc etc Perhaps "west" was the wrong word. How about "developed nations"?
Angelorange - thanks for the link, just ordered it off Amazon
Mr AEO, you're correct that is indeed a very good yet harrowing book. The poor sod was well and truly hung out to dry by the petty-minded bureaucracy and ineptitude of the UN.
I'd also recommend Linda Malvern's book
A People Betrayed (the paperback's a bit cheaper mind...
)