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Analysis: UN's Lebanon Force in Limbo

Council on Foreign Relations

August 22, 2006
Prepared by: Eben Kaplan

With the still-fragile cease-fire along the Lebanese border into its second week, there is general agreement that swift action from the international community is needed to fill the security vacuum. Yet there is little accord on how to proceed. President Bush on Monday called for the quick deployment of UN peacekeepers. Such a multinational force may be slow in coming: Many of the European nations expected to contribute troops are balking at the nebulous mission (NYT). France, which was expected to lead the peacekeeping effort, has pledged a mere 200 troops, saying it might commit more once some well-defined rules of engagement are established. Italy has volunteered to lead the UN force, pledging up to 3,000 troops—about a third of the total contribution from Europe—provided Israel abides by the ceasefire (MSNBC). This Backgrounder looks at the checkered history of multinational interventions in the region.

At the center of the diplomatic wrangling is UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which has been criticized as vague and unrealistic (Toronto Star). To clear up some of the confusion, the United States plans to introduce another resolution, which it says will explicitly call for the disarmament of Hezbollah (AP). The Washington Institute for Near East Policy's David B. Makovsky says the failure to disarm Hezbollah as stipulated in Security Council Resolution 1559 contributed to the recent outbreak of violence. Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer writes, "For all its boasts, Hezbollah has suffered grievously militarily," and could easily be cut down to size if a robust peacekeeping force were present.

UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen has warned a violation of the cease-fire could further dissuade nations from contributing to the peacekeeping effort (LAT).

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2006 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.