Back to the Future?
| Date | 01 December 2009 |
| Author | Christopher Spearin |
| Published date | 01 December 2009 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200906400415 |
| Subject Matter | The Lessons of History |
Christopher Spearin is an associate professor in the department of defence studies of the
Royal Military College of Canada located at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto. The
views expressed in the article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect
those of the Canadian Department of National Defence or the government of Canada.
As the crisis in D arfur drags on—a crisis that has consumed the lives of
400,000 people and displaced two million more since 2003—the
international community’s response to the tragedy faces increasing scrutiny
and criticism. In particular, two internationally sanctioned military
operations, the hybrid United Nations African Union Mission in Sudan
(UNAMID) and its predecessor, the African Union Mission in Sudan
(AMIS), have received considerable negative attention.These forces, mostly
drawn from African states, are noted for their inability to hold the Sudanese-
government-backed Arab militia—the
Janjaweed
—at bay, to protect ordinary
Darfurians, and to sustain the humanitarian space that would allow for relief
efforts by nongovernmental organizations and the United Nations to
proceed. Several variables have contributed to these weaknesses: a shortage
of readily available and well-trained troops, a lack of appropriate
communications and transportation equipment, insufficient funding, a poor
management structure at the strategic and operational levels, an overly
constraining mandate, and, not surprisingly, poor morale among the troops.
THE LESSONS OF HISTORY
Christopher Spearin
Back to the future?
International private security companies in Darfur and the limits
of the Executive Outcomes example
| International Journal | Month | 1095 |
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