Book Review: The United Nations Mission in El Salvador: A Humanitarian Law Perspective
| Published date | 01 December 1997 |
| Date | 01 December 1997 |
| DOI | 10.1177/092405199701500413 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
Part D: Documentation
BOOK REVIEWS
Tathiana Flores Acuna, The United Nations Mission in
El
Salvador: AHumanitarian
Law Perspective, Kluwer Law International, The Hague, 1995, 253
pp:
Since the end
of
the Cold War, the United Nations (UN) has revitalised its mandate
regarding its principal task, that is, the maintenance
of
international peace and security. I
The main instrument used by the UN to accomplish this task has been through peace
operations. These operations range from peacemaking to peacekeeping to peacebuilding
operations. Lately, the cooperation between the members
of
the Security Council,
especially Russia and the United States, has enabled the UN Secretary-General to deploy
peace operations to areas
of
conflict. In Central American these peace operations have
been successful.' As the activities
of
the UN continue to expand in the area
of
peace
operations, an analysis about the United Nations Observer Mission in EI Salvador
(ONUSAL) is most welcome. Notably, because the peace operation involved the
consolidation
of
peace (i.e. peacemaking), the verification
of
the peace agreements (i.e.
peacekeeping) and the transformation
of
Salvadorian society in such a way that resumption
of
conflict is less likely (i.e. peacebuilding).'
As is clear from the title, the book discusses the humanitarian task
of
the UN mission
in EI Salvador. The strength
of
the book is the thorough legal analysis
of
humanitarian
law, as related to the United Nations Charter concerning the maintenance
of
international
peace and security. The author pays special attention to the role
of
the Security Council
and the Secretary-General in developing and deploying UN peace operation. Concentrating
exclusively on a legal analysis also brings with it limitations. Most importantly, the
political context in which the changes, regarding the maintenance
of
international peace
and security within the UN, took place is lost. Furthermore, there is little attention for the
role the UN played in the Salvadorian peace negotiations.
As the UN is increasingly involved in peace operations, Flores
Acuna's
book is
commendable. In chapter I, the author in detail addresses the competence
of
the Security
Council and the function
of
the Secretary-General in dealing with matters
of
the
maintenance
of
international peace and security and their function in developing and
deploying ONUSAL. Although, the thorough legal analysis
of
chapter I is worthy, it
neglects to provide acontext in which the changes within the UN, regarding the
maintenance
of
international peace and security took places. As a result, this leads the
author to conclusions that are weak or arguable. For example, in chapter I it is concluded
that:
'The
evaluation
of
the Security Council's position towards human rights and
Hilde Hey is a political scientist who works as a human rights consultant. Between 1995-1996 she worked
as a human rights observer for the United Nations mission in Guatemala. She
holdsa
Ph.D. from Utrecht
University.
Article I of the UN Charter.
These include the UN mission to EI Salvador, ONUSAL and the UN mission to Guatemala, MINUGUA.
Depending on the criteria used the mission to Cambodia, UNTAC, canbe considered the first mission since
the end of the Cold War that encompassed peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. However, the UN
mission to Congo, between 1960-1964, was its prototype as it was the first UN peace operation that was
involved with institution building, i.e. peacebuilding.
Netherlands Quarterly
of
Human Rights, Vol. 15/4. 559-567, 1997.
©Netherlands Institute
of
Human Rights (SIM). Printed in the Netherlands. 559
To continue reading
Request your trial