Peacekeeping goes wrong at home: Fiji

[davidbfpo]

Fiji rarely gets attention here, but as a small nation it has made a significant contribution to UN peacekeeping operations, notably in Southern Lebanon till 2002 (UNIFIL).

Fijian politics are well beyond the range of my media watching, although I know at times the Fijian military have taken over the government (now till 2014); as they do now.

So a short article in an Australian think tank's blog caught my eye; thanks to Fuchs for highlighting: The Strategist the official blog of The Australian Strategic Policy Institute:http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/

The article is by a former Fijian Army officer is 'The unintended consequences of Fiji’s UN peacekeeping operations': http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/the...ng-operations/

He opens with:

I’d argue that the politicisation of the Fijian military is partly due to the fact that it has developed a self-image as a mediator of political tensions and executor of coups d’état. Unlike the Indonesian military, the Fijian military’s raison d’être wasn’t determined by internal security threats; in fact, it was historically apolitical. And the development of this self-image appears to be an unintended consequence of the Fijian military’s involvement in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations.

Much of this development has its roots in the Fijian military’s first deployment on a UN peacekeeping operation as part of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in 1978.

Worth a read, more for the possible impact at home for a nation deploying its military on peacekeeping missions.

IIRC much has been made in he past of the impact on 'security sector reform', democratisation and human rights observance from changing nations undertaking such roles - in the partial spotlight of other nations. Cannot think immediately of an example where it has gone wrong like Fiji.