APU MILH565 2019 December Full Course Latest

MILH565 History of Peacekeeping - 1988 to present

Week 1 Forum

Peacekeeping Introduction and UN Operations

Make sure to integrate the readings for the week.  Page numbers are helpful.  The form is (Author last name year, page).  See more about citation in the Course Materials in the Syllabus.

1.  What are the reasons for beginning the study of peacekeeping operations history with the year 1988?  Further, why is the year 2000 a watershed in UN peacekeeping reform?

 

MILH565 History of Peacekeeping - 1988 to present

Week 2 Forum

Please answer the following question, incorporating our readings and course materials from the Lessons for this week.

At the end of the Cold War, when one might have expected a period of peace and stability, we see the opposite--a noticeable increase in the number of peacekeeping operations. In the five years between 1989 and 1994, the Security Council authorized a total of 20 new operations, and an increase from 11,000 to 75,000 peacekeeping troops and civilian personnel.

Peacekeepers conducted in operations including the nations of Angola, Cambodia, El Salvador, Mozambique, Namibia - and our case study, Yugoslavia. In addition to their mandate to keep the peace their duties included helping to implement peace agreements, train and reorganize the military and police departments, supervise elections and assist in building democratic institutions.

Question:  After completing our readings, please evaluate the degree of success of these missions overall. You may also comment on the reasons for the dramatic increase in peacekeeping operations.  How did the theories, principles, and methodologies of UN peacekeeping help or hinder the success?

 

MILH565 History of Peacekeeping - 1988 to present

Week 3 Forum

Peacekeeping Transitions and Operations in Haiti

Last week we discussed the general changes that we see in peacekeeping operations from the Cold War to the post-Cold War Era. This week, please take one of the several examples which we've read about and discuss the ways in which it demonstrates the new, expanded role of peacekeepers. Do those roles bear a resemblance to what we consider nation-building? Is that an appropriate mandate for the United Nations.

 

 

 

 

MILH565 History of Peacekeeping - 1988 to present

Week 4 Forum

The success of peacekeeping missions during the Cold War and immediately after set the bar high for continued US missions. Ultimately the US found that bar set too high, with too many expectations and the Security Council simply could not provide the resources necessary to meet all the demands for assistance which members presented.

Interestingly the types of missions changed in the mid 1990s when the UN sent troops to Yugoslovia, Rwanda and Somalia prior to the actual establishment of peace. The international community criticized these missions and the Security Council for overreaching, and placing the peacekeepers themselves in danger. When civilian casualties occurred in the presence of peacekeepers,it damaged the reputation of United Nations operations. These problems led to a period of serious reevaluation of peacekeeping policies and procedures to avoid such issues in the future.

We will read several of these reports, and this week will discuss the events which led to UN peacekeeping failures and evaluate the recommended solutions. Have they been properly implemented, and did they work?

 

MILH565 History of Peacekeeping - 1988 to present

Week 5 Forum

In our last forum we explored some of the peacekeeping operations which led to serious reexamination of UN operations.  Additionally, after 2000, the doctrine of Responsibility to Protect began to take shape within the UN.  In retrospect, how might R2P have been useful as a tool for humanitarian intervention in either the case for El Salvador (1980-92) or Cambodia (1975-79)?  Would its use have changed the nature of the later peacekeeping operation and its outcome?

 

MILH565 History of Peacekeeping - 1988 to present

Week 6 Forum

At the beginning of the 21st century, the UN ordered a serious examination of the peacekeeping efforts of the 1990s and suggested reforms in the so-called Brahimi Report which we will examine.

These years also saw peacekeeping operations in Burundi, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Eritrea and Ethiopia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Syria. Such a number of commitments meant that, UN Peacekeepers were stretched incredibly thin and were taking on increasingly diverse missions. These missions required them to develop new strategies to accomplish missions unstable environments with an ever-changing list of requirements and expectations

In this forum we should discuss the types of reforms recommended, and how they played out in the peacekeeping operations of the past decade.  What new challenges did they face? Were they successful?

 

 

 

 

 

 

MILH565 History of Peacekeeping - 1988 to present

Week 7 Forum

Individuals can have a tremendous impact on events, including limiting atrocities. We've seen how Lakhdar Brahimi's guidance of the Panel on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations impacted its final report.  In this forum, please select one person who has been important in UN peacekeeping efforts, and discuss how he or she influenced a particular operation or overall peacekeeping policy especially as it concerns genocide.

 

MILH565 History of Peacekeeping - 1988 to present

Week 8 Forum

Imagine a post-conflict peacekeeping operation on the Korean Peninsula.  Given your readings from Week 8, what would be important theoretical and operational approaches for a successful operation?  What approaches might lead to failure (given your knowledge of other UN peacekeeping mission disasters)?

 

MILH565 History of Peacekeeping - 1988 to present

Research Paper Proposal

A brief description of the chosen paper topic, short (1 to 2 paragraph) thesis statement that the student intends to structure the paper around, a listing (in outline form) of the supporting arguments and sub-arguments that are intended to support the thesis, a Reference List of sources the student intends to use for researching the paper – must include at least five peer-reviewed sources to complement any primary sources.

This assignment will be graded on the proposed topic for the research paper, the historical question posed, and a preliminary thesis statement.  To create a thesis statement, ask a unique research question about the topic and answer it with specific reasons why.  The statement should be one sentence if possible and presented in the opening paragraph of your proposal.  Your instructor will approve the topic as submitted or will direct modifications as needed.   This assignment will be due Week 3.

Submission Guidelines

1.  Please format your assignment with a header to include your name, the class, the date, the assignment name, and page numbers.

2.  Give the proposal a title that reflects the topic.

3.  Use Turabian Author-Date parenthetical in-text citations and a References List to hold sources as mentioned in your syllabus on page 3 under Course Materials.

Create the document in Word and upload it as a .doc or .docx in the Assignments folder no later than Sunday at 11:59pm ET.

As with all assignments if you are unclear about these instructions, please contact your instructor.  Happy to help!

 

 

MILH565 History of Peacekeeping - 1988 to present

Research Paper

Expand upon your Research Paper Proposal, completing a 6-8 page, double-spaced, research paper on one of the major concepts, events, or people associated with the history of peacekeeping, 1988-present.

It should include a title page, reference citations (from multiple sources – primary and secondary), and a References List.  Sources used within the text must be cited using in-text citations (Author last name year, page) or (Author last name year, n.p.) if no page given.  Corresponding Reference List entries should hold the full Turabian Author-Date citation.  An example is provided at the end of the Syllabus with the Course Materials.  There should be no entries in the References List that are not used in the in-text citations; all in-text citations need a corresponding single entry in the Reference List.

Substantial research other than the required course readings is necessary.   NOTE:  Internet sources (web sites) should be rarely used, if ever.  Exceptions are scholarly websites and documents available through the APUS Online Library. (Wikipedia is not considered a valid academic source).  Your paper should have the following minimum elements: a title page, strong introduction with thesis statement, body of the paper, in-text citations, page numbering, strong conclusion that relates back to the introduction a works cited page.

Your research paper must reflect your own original thoughts, even though the issues may have been previously presented elsewhere.  The research paper will be graded based on the quality of the student’s research, writing, and creativity. Important note:  A paper submitted without a previously approved and graded proposal will be given a grade of zero.

Submission Guidelines

1.  Please format your assignment with a title page that includes your name, the class, the date, the assignment name, and the title.

2.  Insert a header on the paper that includes your name, the date, and a page number.

3.  Separate peer-reviewed articles from primary sources in the References List.  Two sections should be included:  Primary Sources and Secondary Sources.  Don't forget to put your list in alphabetical order by author or organization name.  You may use the recommended Turabian Author-Date style for primary sources without authors - these will flow quite well with just their titles at the left margin rather than an author or organization name.  The organization name (like United Nations General Assembly) comes after the title.  Then date, etc.  Just remember, in separating the sources in this way, we are in a "history" course so there will be several primary sources.  In most IRLS classes, we want all your sources listed by author and/or organization name.  That way, your reader may just browse the list quickly to know what sources you are using throughout.  Always check with your professor for preferences in this area.

4.  Use Turabian Author-Date parenthetical in-text citations and a References List to hold sources as mentioned in your syllabus on page 3 under Course Materials.

Create the document in Word and upload it as a .doc or .docx in the Assignments folder no later than Sunday at 11:59pm ET.

As with all assignments if you are unclear about these instructions, please contact your instructor.  Happy to help!

 

 

 

MILH565 History of Peacekeeping - 1988 to present

Literature Review

Complete a 3-page review (double-spaced) of any scholarly article associated with the history of peacekeeping, 1988-present.   Your scholarly article review is worth 20 percent of your course grade.  Every word counts – write with precision and edit aggressively to the distill the most important thoughts.

The scholarly article you select for review must cover a major concept, event, or person associated with the history of peacekeeping, 1988-present.  The purpose of this assignment is to introduce you to some of the original published history that can serve as a model for your own research.  This assignment will be due Week 5.  Please use the same citation style and format as the Research Paper Proposal in the Week 3 assignment.

Submission Guidelines

1.  Please format your assignment with a header to include your name, the class, the date, the assignment name, and page numbers.

2.  Give the literature review a unique title that reflects the topic.

3.  Also, add the full Turabian Author-Date citation for the article at the top of the assignment, just under the title at the left margin.

4.  Use Turabian Author-Date parenthetical in-text citations and a References List to hold sources as mentioned in your syllabus on page 3 under Course Materials.

Create the document in Word and upload it as a .doc or .docx in the Assignments folder no later than Sunday at 11:59pm ET.

As with all assignments if you are unclear about these instructions, please contact your instructor.  Happy to help!