UN Peacekeeping : Right Decision

The government has done the right thing by withdrawing the Indian army contingent from Sierra Leone, but given the public the wrong reason for doing so, viz, to provide an opportunity to other countries. The fact is that India rushed into the job without full consideration of its national interests, despite previous experience in Yugoslavia. The Permanent Five of the Security Council regard UN peacekeeping as a task for the second-level countries, they themselves not wanting to risk their men, except when they can go it alone under NATO as in Kosovo or under the US command as in Iraq. The UN secretary general's appeal for a unified approach is a cry in the wilderness.

While approving of UN operations, Britain has been going it alone in Sierra Leone, training the government army but not helping the UN operation. When its men were taken hostages by one of the rebel groups, the UN's Jordanian contingent helped in the rescue. Earlier, however, the British hardly bothered when Indians were taken hostages by the rebel group RUF. Bickering between the Indian and Nigerian contingents over the Indian commander's concern over diamond smuggling had shown that a unified approach even among developing countries was difficult. Rather than lose its goodwill among African nations, India has done the right thing by withdrawing. Jordan has threatened to do the same, unless a NATO member also joins the UN peacekeeping force.