America fights to take charge of UN peacekeepers around world

The Times November 03, 2006

By James Bone and Richard Beeston

The United States is lobbying to put an American, possibly a general, in charge of all UN peacekeeping operations in a move that could offer Washington an exit strategy in Iraq.

The unprecedented US bid for the top UN peacekeeping post would place an American in command of the 95,000 UN peacekeepers in trouble spots from Lebanon to Sudan.

The American lobbying effort is set to prove hugely controversial. If successful, the change would amount to a radical remaking of the organisation, bringing it closer to its origin in the Second World War as a US-led alliance.

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Some UN officials also fear that putting an American at the head of peacekeeping potentially could enable the US to use UN operations for covert activities — as it did with the UN weapons inspection teams in the Iraq of Saddam Hussein.

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2435289,00.html

Seeing as how we've done such a bang-up job in Iraq and Afghanistan, I bet the UN peacekeepers can't wait to be put under U.S. command! :scared: :yoiks:

to do with the BFEE concept that we should be breaking down our military and diplomatic representation to smaller, more mobile units able to go at a moment's notice to work intensively on the issue du jour. Taking over the Peacekeeping responsibilities would certainly give more face to the U.S. military persona. I do not like this idea one bit and hope the other countries will keep us from doing this. What is Bolton up to?