Africa Up Close

A Nigerian soldier with UNAMID, in Darfur. Photo by Stuart Price / UN Photo, via Flickr. Creative Commons.

The United Nations has long enjoyed legitimacy as the international arbiter on issues of war and peace. A UN mandate signals international support for military action to maintain or restore peace. “Blue Helmets” are usually welcomed as guarantors of peace.

2016 was a difficult year for UN peace missions in Africa. High-profile missions in the Central African Republic, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mali are at high risk of failure. Even in Darfur, which has been off the front page, violence and suffering continues. The legitimacy of UN peace missions in Africa is now in question because of dramatic failures to protect civilians and widespread sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers.

By Ann L. Phillips
Recent Public Policy Scholar at the Wilson Center

The U.S. Government has made clear that stabilization missions requiring deployment of large numbers of personnel—military and civilian—are not on the agenda for the foreseeable future.  Not only budget constraints but also sobering experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan have produced a strategic shift. As the U.S. draws down its presence in Afghanistan, it’s fair to say that the lives lost and billions spent to stabilize the country and provide a foundation for Afghan development have not produced progress commensurate with the effort.  In early 2012, the Pentagon released its strategic defense guidance, “Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21^st Century Defense,” which underscored a new reliance on Special Forces, technology, and intelligence to protect and promote U.S. national security interests.  Drones have become a centerpiece in the new approach; the ramifications of which are already visible in hotspots around the globe.  In Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia, the U.S. deploys drones in increasing numbers to gather intelligence and to kill high value insurgent and terrorist targets. In Africa, drones outfitted only to gather intelligence at this time are front and center in U.S. counter-terrorism efforts. The underlying goal of these new efforts is to monitor extremist groups and to help shape an inhospitable environment for them in Mali, Nigeria and Niger.

The Pentagon’s new strategic guidance, “Sustaining U.S.Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense,”  released in January 2012 outlines major changes in the U.S. defense posture, from a geostrategic shift toward Asia and the Pacific to restructuring its forces. The section on stability and counterinsurgency operations states that the U.S. will no longer “…conduct large-scale, prolonged stability operations” as it has done in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Rather, the U.S. will “emphasize non-military means and military-to-military cooperation.”  Specifically, the U.S. will focus on building the capabilities of partners in regions at risk and rely more heavily on Special Forces, technology, and intelligence, as well as diplomacy and development assistance to promote U.S. national security.