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World needs United Nations army, says book
Last Updated Thu, 15 Jun 2006 14:37:26 EDT
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/06/15/un-army.html
The world would benefit from an international, United Nations-backed force of military, police and civilians that could respond to world crises within 48 hours, a group of academics and security experts is planning to tell the UN.
A report published Thursday in the Toronto Star quotes from a book titled A United Nations Emergency Peace Service: To Prevent Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity.
"A UN agency would for the first time in history offer a rapid, comprehensive, internationally legitimate response to crisis, enabling it to save hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of dollars through early and often preventive action," says the book, which will be presented at the world body on Friday.
The book's chief writer, University of Notre Dame political scientist Robert Johansen, told the Star the UN army could help prevent tragedies such as the Rwandan genocide and the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
It would be a professional force that wouldn't deplete the military resources of countries or leave governments wondering how long their troops will be deployed in a foreign country, said Johansen.
The force, estimated to cost about $2 billion US to set up, would operate out of UN-run bases with a mobile field headquarters.
A UN-run emergency force isn't a new idea. It was initially proposed after the Second World War, surfacing again after the Rwandan genocide.
However, critics feared it would become an army controlled by Western nations.
Canadian Col. Pat Strogan, vice-president of the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, told the Star the concept was sound, but hinged on which countries chose to participate.
Last Updated Thu, 15 Jun 2006 14:37:26 EDT
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/06/15/un-army.html
The world would benefit from an international, United Nations-backed force of military, police and civilians that could respond to world crises within 48 hours, a group of academics and security experts is planning to tell the UN.
A report published Thursday in the Toronto Star quotes from a book titled A United Nations Emergency Peace Service: To Prevent Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity.
"A UN agency would for the first time in history offer a rapid, comprehensive, internationally legitimate response to crisis, enabling it to save hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of dollars through early and often preventive action," says the book, which will be presented at the world body on Friday.
The book's chief writer, University of Notre Dame political scientist Robert Johansen, told the Star the UN army could help prevent tragedies such as the Rwandan genocide and the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
It would be a professional force that wouldn't deplete the military resources of countries or leave governments wondering how long their troops will be deployed in a foreign country, said Johansen.
The force, estimated to cost about $2 billion US to set up, would operate out of UN-run bases with a mobile field headquarters.
A UN-run emergency force isn't a new idea. It was initially proposed after the Second World War, surfacing again after the Rwandan genocide.
However, critics feared it would become an army controlled by Western nations.
Canadian Col. Pat Strogan, vice-president of the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, told the Star the concept was sound, but hinged on which countries chose to participate.