Originally published on the CGS blog on March 22, 2011.
In an interview with Gulf News on Tuesday, I discussed the importance and need for a United Nations Emergency Peace Service (UNEPS). It’s one step towards effective genocide prevention, and is designed primarily as a first-in, first-out unit that could fill the gap between the Security Council’s authorization of a peace operation and the actual deployment of a conventional peacekeeping mission.
UNEPS would consist of 15,000 – 18,000 civilian police, military, judicial, and relief professionals, employed by the United Nations that could deploy within 48 hours of a Security Council authorization. The force would be permanent and voluntary; its participants could be trained together in the same language, use the same weapons and communications equipment for greater interoperability, have a clear chain of command and would have a greater level of commitment to the success of their missions.
I am currently participating in the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) conference titled, “Global Strategic Developments: A Futuristic Vision,” where I am discussing the future of the United Nations and the Security Council.
