CAR Central African Republic: Fragile, failed and forlorn

[jmm99]

From my last post:

You can't get much better (Rwanda, Congo) ...

which was me being a bit of a snark - based on past genocidal histories. So, USA, why not troopies from Rwanda and Congo ?

And, Presto:

Rwandan soldiers form up after a C-17 Globemaster III based out of McChord Air Force Base, Wash., dropped them off in the Central African Republic on Jan. 19, 2014. [from David's Stars & Stripes link]

To be fair, and based on past professional comments by others at SWC about Rwandan troops, they might be the best African troops to send.

The choice of language in the HRW report is interesting - because it mixes "peacekeeping" with Chapter VII; from David's link:

To the United Nations Security Council

• Authorize the deployment of a multi-dimensional UN peacekeeping mission under Chapter VII of the UN Charter with a robust mandate and the means to protect civilians, promote human rights, and create an environment conducive to the delivery of humanitarian aid.
...
To France, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United States, and Other Concerned Governments

• Support the creation of a UN peacekeeping mission under Chapter VII of the UN Charter with a robust mandate and the means to protect civilians, promote human rights, and create an environment conducive to the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Traditionally, peacekeeping has been under Chapter VI of the Charter; whereas peace enforcement has been under Chapter VII of the Charter. Chapter VI puts the blue hats under peacetime rules of engagement; Chapter VII puts them under wartime rules of engagement.

"Humanitarian interventionists" (to include HRW and Samantha Power) have a tendency to sugarcoat their interventions; so as to distinguish them from operations by those bad "military interventionists".

Regards

Mike