The state has a big impact on the peacekeeping efforts country, especially when it is an international organization trying to create peace in a country that has an intrastate conflict. Right now in Sudan, the region of Darfur is being subjected to attacks on civilians by the Janjaweed, a government back militia, under the pretense of quelling a rebellion by members of the SLM/A (Sudanese liberation movement/ army). In 2003 the SLM/A led a rebellion by attacking government targets because they believed that the, mostly Arab run government was implementing unfair policies against those non-Arab citizens. The government armed the Janjaweed to stop the rebellion, but instead the militia group has used their resources to burn villages and rape citizens, murdering thousands of innocents. The U.N. has repeatedly asked to be able to send in peacekeeping forces to start negotiations between the Sudanese government and the SLM/A, but the government refuses to allow the organization into the country. It has, however allowed a limited amount of peacekeeping troops from the A.U. into the country. The genocide in Darfur is still going on today, and Sudan’s sovereignty as a state allows it to refuse the help of other countries and organizations if it so desires. This idea of a sovereign state has had a negative impact on the peace negotiations in Darfur.
Sources: see the works sited page of Lauren Slipher’s IR paper
This subject brings up the interesting point of what makes a state legitimate. Traditionally, a state needed primarily two things: a territory and recognition from other states. Situations like genocide, however, have led many to believe that a state must fulfill responsibilities to its citizens in order to become completely legitimate. Under this criteria, states that commit human rights abuses, such as Sudan, would not be considered legitimate and the United Nations could intervene and end the genocide. This would also lead to a greater responsibility for other states to help struggling countries provide basic resources and public goods to their people. These situations would no longer be considered domestic because the international community would have the responsibility to intervene if a state could not provide its people with necesities. This way, wealthier nations could more actively assist poorer countries grow, prosper, and avoid conflict.
By: gigantorguys on April 13, 2008
at 10:40 pm