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MILITARY MEANS TO CONFLICT RESOLUTION (GST 222) PROF. DANIEL GBEREVBIE Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 1 07/08/24  Introduction 2 Going by...

MILITARY MEANS TO CONFLICT RESOLUTION (GST 222) PROF. DANIEL GBEREVBIE Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 1 07/08/24  Introduction 2 Going by the title of the course, “Peace and Conflict Resolution,” it is clear that conflict in human society is inevitable. For the sake of emphasis, I will like to say that conflict is natural to human beings. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 3 An individual can suffer from personality conflict: A condition in which the individual is confused about who he or she is, a situation that leads to depression in life. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 4 If an individual can suffer personality conflict by not understanding self, then imagine a social setting where you have aggregation of individuals. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 5 Man is essentially a social being that lives and co-habits with other men in a community, implying that conflicts are bound to occur in his affairs with others. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 6 But even though conflict is natural to man, conflict in itself is not good, when conflict escalates, it can lead to disruption of social life, halt the advancement in human endeavour and bring about discomfort to man and his society. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 7 Therefore man as a rational being has come to realise that peace as an alternative to conflict is most desirable and should be pursued at all times to enable man live a comfortable life. One of the mechanisms of achieving peace is through military force; the use of coercive instruments. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Military (Force) 8 The military comprise of individuals authorized by the government to carry instruments of coercion in the interest of the state. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 9 The military is a very vital and important institution in the life of any country. It plays a role of preserving the country and safeguarding it from both external aggression and internal insurrection. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 10 The military as an institution in the history of man is continuously in the process of stabilizing society for orderly living. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 11 For instance, the superpower nations or countries of the world today arrogate to themselves the title of “superpower nations” by the reason of their military might. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 12 However, another important role of which the military institution has been utilized is in conflict resolution. This is more pronounced in situations where conflict has escalated to the height of warfare or when conflict had degenerated into armed combats by the disputants. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 13 It is under this scenario that the role of the military comes to fore in conflict resolution., e.g. Libya, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone and more. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 14 Conflict theorists, often use three terms to describe the roles of the military in conflict resolution to include: - Peacekeeping; - Peacemaking; and - Peace Enforcement Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  (1) Peacekeeping 15 Peacekeeping is the art usually carried out by the military that aims at keeping combatants from attacking each other, this is done by putting some kind of barriers between them. These barriers are often made up of neutral soldiers (peacekeepers) from the United Nations (UN) or a group of neutral nations (third parties). Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 16 During peacekeeping operations, the soldiers do nothing to settle the disputants’ differences or help negotiate a peace agreement. The soldiers performing peacekeeping missions simply keep the two sides apart. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 17 Over the years, the United Nations have shown leadership in spearheading peacekeeping operations around conflict spots all over the world. The soldiers who carry out peacekeeping mission put on helmet or beret in the UN blue colour and are called “Men of blue helmets” and the areas where they patrol are known as “blue lines.” Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 18 Most countries who contribute soldiers to UN operations are usually neutral nations, not related in any way to the disputants. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 19 In UN operations, it is the Security Council that is empowered by the Charter to authorize the mandate for peacekeeping, while the General Assembly appropriates the funds/budget of the mission. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 20 One of the fundamental things we should know is that peacekeepers do not intrude into the affairs of disputants. Their operations are limited to observing the peace settlement, which must have been entered and kept for some time before the deployment of the peacekeepers. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 21 The peacekeepers do not carry heavy arms, but light arms, and functions to interpose themselves physically between the warring parties. Their arms are for self-defence. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 22 The essence is that any side that attempts to break the peace agreement or cease fire, must first attack the peacekeepers before getting to their enemy. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 23 Most other times, peacekeepers monitor the cease-fire agreement and reports back to the UN. They function to ensure free elections and also make sure that respect for human rights are adhered to. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  (2) Peacemaking 24 Peacemaking is the process of forging a settlement between the disputing parties. While this can be done in direct negotiation with just the two disputants, it is often also accomplished with a third-party mediator. This third party assist with the process and communication problems, and help the parties work effectively together to draft a workable peace accord. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 25 Peacemaking is not the final step in the peace process. As exemplified in the Middle East and other parts of the world, it takes more than a peace accord to bring peace to a region. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 26 Peace accord is just the beginning and must be followed by long-term peace building (i.e. the process of normalizing relations and reconciling differences between the warring factions) Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 27 Though peacemaking encapsulates mainly non-coercive diplomatic means of achieving peace, recent understanding has widened the concept to include coercive slants, in which case the military stands involved. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 28 The UN in 1999, following series of problems of peacekeeping, proposed a peacemaking operations that would not only monitor a cease-fire but enforce it, if it breaks down. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 29 The peacemakers engage in the process of disarmament and demobilization, which ensures that the warring parties do not fall back into arms conflict after the peacemakers are withdrawn. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  (3) Peace Enforcement 30 Peace enforcement operations occur when there is a mandate to enforce a cease-fire by taking coercive action against either party or both (usually when there is a violation of existing ceasefire). Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 31 Peace enforcers are more heavily armed than peacekeeping forces. Peace enforcement therefore involves the use of force beyond self-defence. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 32 Peace enforcement is necessary because there are conflicts; where a particular party becomes adamant and constitute an obstacle to peace. This party to a conflict either make it difficult to reach a cease-fire, or even when cease-fire agreement are reached, it doesn't comply with such agreements. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 33 Once the international community or third party clearly identifies such party that fails to comply with the peace agreement; may decide to intervene and enforce it or apply force to reach one. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 34 The operation of ECOWAS Military Operations Group (ECOMOG) in Liberia and Sierra-Leone, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in Sarajevo and UN operations in Libya and Ivory Coast are good examples of peace enforcement missions. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 35 In such situation, the soldiers carry heavy arms that can overwhelm those of the aggressive side. UN operations now have the responsibility to protect by intervening to save lives. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  Cont’d 36 NOTE: 1. Peacekeeping – Maintain Peace 2. Peacemaking – Forge settlement 3. Peace-enforcement – Enforce peace by all means through the use of military force. Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24  END OF LECTURE 37 Thanks for Listening & God bless Prof. Daniel Gberevbie 07/08/24