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The United Nations Emergency Forces

The Americans did not have as much at stake as the other two superpowers, they stopped their financial aid of the Aswan Dam not because of the hostilities, but because the Egyptians were buying arms from the Soviet Union.(3) The Americans also, led in the convening of the UN Security Council in order to find a peaceful solution to the Suez Canal issue, the British and French vetoed any resolution that was brought to the Security Council. Due to these vetoes and the involvement of permanent members of the Council, it had to go to the General Assembly.(4)

During this General Session of the UN, it was determined that to meet the goals of the UN, which was a withdraw of occupying force and establish a buffer zone between the Egyptians and the Israelis, that a peacekeeping force needed to be established. This peacekeeping force would be called the United Nations Emergency Force, UNEF. This would be a force comprised of what is called the Middle Powers. They were not the superpowers like the United States or Soviet Union, but they were countries that were “big enough to discharge with effect [their] responsibility [but] not big enough for others to fear them”5

3) Sunil Ram, The History of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations during the Cold War: 1945 to 1987, (Williamsburg: Peace Operations Training Institute, 2008), 33.

4) United Nations Security Council and War: The Evolution of Thought and Practice since 1945, edited by Lowe, Vaughan, Adam Roberts and Jennifer Welsh, (Oxford, GBR: OUP Oxford, 2008), 305.

5) Norrie Macqueen, Peacekeeping and the International System, (London: Routledge, 2006), 76. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=172208&site=ehost-live. (Accessed 5 July 2014)

This force consisted of a number near 6,000 soldiers at any given time from nations like Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, India, Indonesia, Norway, Sweden, and Yugoslavia.(6) Their mission was to facilitate the withdraw of troops, prevent the reoccurrence of hostilities, and to create a barrier between the two nations.(7)

6) United Nations Security Council and War: The Evolution of Thought and Practice since 1945, edited by Lowe, Vaughan, Adam Roberts and Jennifer Welsh, (Oxford, GBR: OUP Oxford, 2008), 305.

7) Paul E. Diehl, "Peacekeeping Operations and the Quest for Peace," Political Science Quarterly 103, no. 3 (Autumn, 1988): 486. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2150760. (Accessed July 5, 2014).

This mission received the full support of the Security Council, including the United States and the Soviet Union, this was an important step. Ines Claude states, “If the United States and the Soviet Union can join in accepting and even in valuing the performance of this role by the UN, it seems to me that the organization may contribute significantly to the stabilization of the global situation.”(18) This means that if the major nations can get behind what the United Nations is trying to do, then the world would look at the United Nations differently and with more respect. Otherwise, the United Nations needs to stay away from Peacekeeping missions and try to work world peace another way.

18) Inis L. Claude Jr., "United Nations use of Military Force." The Journal of Conflict Resolution 7, no. 2 (Jun., 1963): 129. http://www.jstor.org/stable/172798. (Accessed July 6, 2014)

In closing, when the two missions are compares to each other, one can see that the UNEF II mission had the base elements of UNEF I. In addition, when the two missions are further compared, there are significant advantages to UNEF II. This is due to the fact that the Security Council would not enact UNEF II unless it had full support of the Security Council, which it did, and full support of the host nation. In this case, the UN received support from both Egypt and Israel. This shows that the UN took a successful first mission, made improvements to the plan, and implemented a more successful mission that is the standard for peacekeeping missions today. 

Bibliography

United Nations Security Council and War : The Evolution of Thought and Practice since 1945, edited by Lowe, Vaughan, Adam Roberts and Jennifer Welsh. Oxford, GBR: OUP Oxford, 2008. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/apus/docDetail.action?docID=10254369

Claude, Inis L.,Jr. "United Nations use of Military Force." The Journal of Conflict Resolution 7, no. 2 (Jun., 1963): 117-129. http://www.jstor.org/stable/172798.

Cohen, Maxwell. "The Demise of UNEF." International Journal 23, no. 1 (Winter, 1967): 18-51. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40199818.

———. "The United Nations Emergency Force: A Preliminary View." International Journal 12, no. 2 (Spring, 1957): 109-127. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40198267.

Diehl, Paul F. "Peacekeeping Operations and the Quest for Peace." Political Science Quarterly 103, no. 3 (Autumn, 1988): 485-507. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2150760.

Ram, Sunil. The History of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations during the Cold War: 1945 to 1987. Williamsburg: Peace Operations Training Institute, 2008.

Stiles, Kendall W. and Maryellen MacDonald. "After Consensus, what? Performance Criteria for the UN in the Post-Cold War Era." Journal of Peace Research 29, no. 3 (Aug., 1992): 299-311. http://www.jstor.org/stable/424283.

UNEF II was designed to monitor the cease-fire and withdraw of Arab and Israeli troops just like UNEF I. However, there were a couple of things that had changed. One thing that changed is the fact that the United States and the Soviet Union were primarily on the same side this time.(13) Due to this, the Soviet Union negotiated a way for the first Warsaw Pact country to participate in peacekeeping operations, Poland.(14) Another difference is the fact that the Israelis were for the presents of the peacekeepers. The Israelis had to accept the peacekeepers this time, because the Israelis had to give the occupied land to the peacekeepers, who later gave it to the Egyptians. (15)

13) United Nations Security Council and War: The Evolution of Thought and Practice since 1945, edited by Lowe, Vaughan, Adam Roberts and Jennifer Welsh, (Oxford, GBR: OUP Oxford, 2008), 311.

14) Sunil Ram, The History of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations during the Cold War: 1945 to 1987, (Williamsburg: Peace Operations Training Institute, 2008), 112.

15) Kendall W. Stiles and Maryellen MacDonald. "After Consensus, what? Performance Criteria for the UN in the Post-Cold War Era." Journal of Peace Research 29, no. 3 (Aug., 1992): 306. http://www.jstor.org/stable/424283 (Accessed July 6, 2014)

Differences between the two missions

The two missions, in essence did the same thing, they maintained a cease-fire and allowed for peaceful negotiations between both sides.

The principles and guidelines that the UNEF II worked off of were significantly different. First, it must have the support and backing of the entire Security Council, then it must operate with the consent of both parties (Egypt and Israel), finally it must be able to work as a functional military unit. They would be under the command of the Secretary General under the authority of the Security Council. The peacekeeping force must have freedom of movement in order to ensure that all mandates and cease-fires were being carried out. This force would have weapons of a defensive nature only and would be authorized to be used for self-defense only.

17) Ibid., 110-111.

The principles that the UNEF worked off were consent of both nations to be there. The UN only received consent from one during UNEF I, Egypt. Another was impartiality; they were to try to treat both sides equally. Then they had a non-use of force, this means that they could only defend themselves and nothing more. This worked for about eleven years and then Egypt asked them to leave.(15) Due to only receiving permission from Egypt, this caused some difficulty in doing their mission. Then the opposition of the Soviet Union causes this force to be authorized through the General Assembly, not the Security Council. The General Assemble was not authorized to enact UNEF but it did anyway, which was a handicap to the operation.

16) Sunil Ram, The History of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations during the Cold War: 1945 to 1987, (Williamsburg: Peace Operations Training Institute, 2008), 36 & 42.

In UNEF I, Israel did not cooperate, but in UNEF II they did. In UNEF I the major superpowers did not see eye to eye.

However, in UNEF II they worked hand in hand for a peace agreement between the Egyptian and the Israelis.

In October of 1973, the Egyptians and Syrians launch a separate attack on Israel in order to regain the land that was lost during the Six Day War. As fighting intensified, the Israeli Army started to get the upper hand. On 24 October 1973, the Security Council convened at the request of Egypt. On 25 October 1973, the Security Council ordered an immediate cease-fire and a new United Nations Emergency Force was planned, UNEF II.(12)

12) Sunil Ram, The History of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations during the Cold War: 1945 to 1987, (Williamsburg: Peace Operations Training Institute, 2008), 110.

The UN mission was marked by relative quietness throughout the region.(8) About two years into the UNEF mission, Secretary General Hammarskjold wrote and presented the General Assemble with a Summary Study of the peacekeeping practice. He states that there should be certain principles when conducting peacekeeping operations of this type; they are voluntarism, neutrality, and non-enforcement.(9) This means that the nations should volunteer their services for the cause of peace. They should be neutral, do not take any one side. In order to help with this, nations that volunteer should not have anything to do with the two countries in question. Finally, they should be a buffer, they should not enforce anything but what the Security Council mandates.

8) Norrie Macqueen, Peacekeeping and the International System, (London: Routledge, 2006), 73. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=172208&site=ehost-live. (Accessed 5 July 2014)

9) Ibid., 75.

This mission finally ended in 1967 upon the request of the Egyptian government. Then in June of 1967, Egypt close the Strait of Tiran which is a vital shipping route for Israel, Israel attacked Egypt and Syria. This conflict was over quickly and Israel gained the Sinai region and the Golan Heights, this would later be called the Six Day War.(10) Then in 1973, the Yom Kippur War. After this, the United Nations Emergency Force II started.(11)

10) Maxwell Cohen, "The Demise of UNEF." International Journal 23, no. 1 (Winter, 1967): 37-42. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40199818. (Accessed July 5, 2014)

11) Paul E. Diehl, "Peacekeeping Operations and the Quest for Peace," Political Science Quarterly 103, no. 3 (Autumn, 1988): 492. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2150760. (Accessed July 5, 2014).

The United Nations was established in order to help keep the peace around the world in the wake of World War Two. During this time, other conflicts have erupted between nations or a group of nations. In not all, but many of these conflicts the United Nations had a contributing factor in ending hostilities and allowing these countries to rebuild or settle problems. Out of all of the peacekeeping missions, there are two that stand out, the Suez in 1956 and the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1974, both of which caused the development of the UN Emergency Force I and II. UNEF and UNEF II are examples of how peacekeeping missions are accomplished and together, they serve as models for follow-on peacekeeping missions within the region.

Patrick J. Zastrow

MILH 421

History of Peacekeeping: 1945-1987

Professor Jodie Cummings

July 6, 2014

The British, French, and Americans had an interest within the Suez Canal region. The British and the French were using the UN to have discussions with the Egyptians. However, they were also having talks with the Israelis as to taking control of the Suez Canal region. On October 29, 1956, Israel went across the Egyptian border and started a ground offensive against Fedayeen camps that were launching their own attacks against the Israelis. The British and French sent both sides an ultimatum to stop the fighting; part of the ultimatum was the two European governments would take control of the Suez Canal. Israel complied but Egypt did not. Later in the same month, British and French forces conducted an invasion of the disputed Suez Canal area and gained control of the canal.(2)

2) Norrie Macqueen, Peacekeeping and the International System, (London: Routledge, 2006), 71. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=172208&site=ehost-live. (Accessed 5 July 2014)

In order to understand their successes, one should look at them separately and then compare the similarities and the differences. The first United Nations emergency Force (UNEF) was formed due to the Suez Canal dispute between the British, French, Israeli, and Egyptian governments. By the summer of 1955, political tension between Egypt and Israel were steadily deteriorating. Egypt restricted shipping through the Suez Canal to Israel and the Egyptian government funded raids that the Palestinians were conducting against Israel as well.(1)

1) Sunil Ram, The History of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations during the Cold War: 1945 to 1987, (Williamsburg: Peace Operations Training Institute, 2008), 33.

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