The United States’ Military Role As An International Peacekeeper

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The United States' Military Role as an International Peacekeeper Often referred to as the world's only remaining superpower, the United States military experienced unprecedented budget cuts during the Clinton Administration.1 Additionally, there was an increased demand to deploy our troops internationally as peacekeepers. Because of these limitations, the United States needs to reevaluate its policy on military peacekeeping missions.

The United States engagement in peacekeeping and peace enforcement are not justified when one American dies protecting someone or something that is not in the best interests of America, although it is not a bad thing to help facilitate negations but it is not the United State's army reasonability to protect the world. The only reason that the United State's should sent in troops is if it is in the best interest of the United States, but the problem is who decides when it is in the best interest of the United States who decides when someone is building missiles for protection or if they are preparing for war.

When evaluating a peacekeeping mission, the United States needs to ask the following three important questions: 1) What interests of the United States are served by intervening?2 2) What is the United States' goal of this peacekeeping operation, i.e. what do we want to achieve and when do we know it is time to leave?2 3) What is the exit strategy in place, i.e. what plan has been formulated to ensure that all United States personnel and equipment are safely extracted from the troubled area after our goal(s) have been reached?2 The island of Cyprus has had Inter-Communal violence since 1963.3 Only three years after it won its independence from Britain, the United Nations did not get involved until 1974 when Turkey invaded the northern part of the island.3 The United Nations came and resolved the conflict and gave Turkey one third of the island. The United Nations literally drew a green line down the middle of the island as a buffer zone to separate the Greek-Cypriots and the Turkish-Cypriots.3 The Turkish-Cypriots have 35,000 Turkish soldiers on the island.4 One of the largest problems is that both sides are happy the way things are with the United Nations guarding the green that separates the island, but both sides do not want to make an agreement.5 Some analysis's think that the two sides will never fully integrate.

The United Nation had never had full control of a county until they took control of East Timor they Completely rebuilt the government. The United Nation has done wonderful things in East Timor. They made a police force and built a judiciary system. Not all the East Timor citizens where as accepting of the United Nations the militia attacks in 2000 all most destroyed every thing the United Nations had worked so had for. The East Timor was a success they had their first election in august and are heading for statehood in 2002.

Due to the massive military cuts during the Clinton Administration, our military strength is thought by many experts to be at a level insufficient to carry out another major campaign in defense of United States interests. Yet the United States embarked on more peacekeeping missions in the 1990's than any other decade in United States history. The military's limited manpower, resources and budget, reduces its ability to defend the legitimate interests of the United States. However, it has become expected by many political entities that the United States be a police force for countries experiencing violence and political unrest. "With United States military lives in the balance, we are foolish to think that our intervention can make a difference in five, ten, or fifteen years".7 This is especially true where conflicts have been ongoing for hundreds, or even thousands, of years (like the middle east).7 This is not what are military is suppose to be used for. Our tax dollars are not to be used to protect the people of Cyprus, Somalia and Haiti. Last year alone Congress gave four hundred ninety eight millions dollars to the United Nations to pay for the peacekeeping in Kosovo and East Timor.8 That money could have been used to protect the United States Citizens, Build new roads, and more money for schools or Medicare. Why are we spending hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer's money to help any country that is being invaded or is having trouble?