Policing the New World Disorder: Peace Operations and Public Security - Couverture souple

Peace operations have gained international attention in recent years, and many excellent studies have appeared on the role of the military in separating warring factions, enforcing cease-fires, and providing humanitarian relief. Another dimension of peacekeeping has become readily apparent, however: the need to strengthen or rebuild indigenous public security institutions. Without a functioning police force, judiciary, and penal system, any troubled state is further hindered in its attempts to overcome internal crisis. The Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University has addressed this growing concern and concluded that rebuilding viable law enforcement capabilities is more central to the success of peace operations than generally appreciated. INSS assembled a core group of experienced civilian and military experts to prepare a series of case studies for discussion. The case studies then formed the basis for a conference held in late 1997 and attended by over one hundred international specialists. This book is the end result of that effort. Policing the New World Disorder should prove useful in conducting comparative analyses of operations involving international assistance to public security institutions. Chapters contributed by the Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Australian, and Austrian experts take a broad view of the subject. A final chapter offers some specific recommendations for consideration by the United Nations, the United States, and other governments in improving the conduct of multilateral operations to assist police forces, courts, and prison systems in troubled states. This effort has already contributed to an increased understanding of this dimension of peace operations among members of U.S. civilian and military agencies as well as international and nongovernmental organizations. This book provides new insights that should help those charged with carrying out such operations become more effective in strengthening public security institutions in troubled countries.