Peacekeeping: Reflections from a Host Country.

• Author: Polic, Jelena Greic

In the past seven years, Croatia has hosted five distinct peacekeeping operations and acquired extensive experience of the traditional and evolving role of United Nations peacekeeping operations and peace-building efforts. In time, Croatia wishes to return some of the good deeds bestowed upon it by helping others in need to overcome their difficulties. While more detailed accounts are available elsewhere of the reasons for the success of the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES), as opposed to the failures of the earlier missions in Croatia, namely the United Nations Protective Force (UNPROFOR) and the United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation in Croatia (UNCRO), we share here some general reflections on our overall experience as a host country.

Together with others, we have been Witnessing the ongoing evolution of the concepts of peacekeeping, as well as peace-building, in which the multidimensional role of the United Nations is becoming ever more complex. During an open debate last December on post-conflict peace-building in the Security Council, many delegations held that the role of UN peacekeeping was no longer restricted to monitoring or maintaining a status quo or manning checkpoints. Similar views were aired during the recent session of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping. As has been demonstrated during the UNTAES mission, and especially in the ongoing mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United Nations has expanded its mandated tasks.

These now include matters such as police monitoring, monitoring of the judicial process, and stimulating the rebuilding and strengthening of civilian government, civil institutions and infrastructure.

Thus, the role of the United Nations in crisis management is becoming ever deeper, aimed at resolving the underlying causes, not just managing the symptoms. This is where the cooperation of a host country can become of pivotal importance.

While the Security Council should not lose sight of its primary responsibility to safeguard international peace and security, and therefore measure its actions accordingly, the United Nations should, whenever possible, show understanding for the priorities and interests of host countries, and temper its involvement in those areas that may encroach upon the internal matters of States.

In this respect, several factors are critical to the success or failure of a specific operation, from the quality...