Several years ago, Ted Turner gave a great deal of money to the UN Foundation, which supports an online forum called the UN Dispatch. Today, the UN Dispatch publishes a piece by its managing editor Mark Leon Goldberg declaring any peacekeeping mission to Syria “a bad idea” and a “non-starter.”
The author argues that UN peacekeepers are only effective after a truce or peace, and they can then only deter resumption of a conflict. They cannot, however, enter a country without that government’s permission. Therefore, unless Bashar al-Assad blesses any such peacekeeping mission, the UN has no role.
As of now, the Assad regime has expressed no intention whatsoever of consenting to foreign troops operating on Syrian soil. Ergo, there is no chance the UN would even contemplate a peacekeeping mission. If, at some future point the Assad regime agrees to a ceasefire and invites a peacekeeping force to monitor and help implement the ceasefire or peace agreement, then we can start talking about a peacekeeping force. For now, though, the idea is basically a non-starter.
Alas, it seems that neither the United Nations nor self-described progressives have learned anything since UN dawdling over such arguments led it to stand aside as nearly a million died in Rwanda massacres in the mid-1990s. But, so far as Ted Turner’s money speaks, its message is “the UN will look the other way; let the massacres continue.”
Explaining how UN peacekeeping operates helps inform a discussion about our actual policy options vis-a-vis Syria. That was my intention in writing the post. It is disingenuous to suggest that describing the limitations of UN Peacekeeping equates to "siding with Assad." n nPlease understand that UN Peacekeepers are not a standing army. They are drawn on an ad hoc basis from troop contributing countries for specific missions, and those missions are only deployed if and when the host country consents to the mission. If a country does not consent to having foreign troops on its territory but foreign troops deploy there anyway, that is generally considered to be an invasion. n nA debate over foreign military intervention in Syria is a worthy discussion. But we would muddle that discussion by conflating Blue Helmets with other forms of military intervention that might be more appropriate to the Syrian context such as "a coalition of the willing" or NATO. n nPlease don't hesitate to contact me should you have further questions about how UN peacekeeping operates. I've spent several years writing about this topic and would be happy to help guide you through some of these tricky distinctions between peacekeeping and war fighting. You can reach me via twitter if you like. n nCheers, n n– Mark Leon Goldberg n@marklgoldberg
There are some interesting historical juxtapositions here. During the 70s, when Jimmy Carter was running for president and Ted Turner was building his super-station now known as TBS, there was a huge amount of investment coming into Atlanta, from dollar-flush Saudis who had made a killing off their OPEC cartel. Prominent amongst them were financier Gaith Pharaon and Prince Faisal Saud. The former was later linked to the BCCI scandal, while the latter seemed intent on buying Georgia real estate like Ted Turner later did in Montana. n nI have no idea what connections the Saudis have had with Carter or Turner, but suffice it to say, Atlanta was swarming with high-profile Arabs and their money just as these two were intent on raising capital for their respective enterprises. What's more, it's interesting that Ted Turner's enmity towards Israel is as intense as Jimmy Carter's. n nWith this as context, all kinds of conjectures might be drawn from the conduct of a Ted Turner-backed "mouthpiece" vis-à-vis the Arabs and Israel. n nThat said, I think it's disingenuous, not to say melodramatic, to compare opposition to calling in UN peacekeepers to Syria with Rwanda. Before getting too precious, one should pause to consider that the secularist Assads in power meant protection of religious minorities in Syria against Sunnis backed by the same Muslim Brotherhood who now threaten to turn Egypt into the enemy at Israel's back. n nThe brutality of the Assads attests to what is necessary — from authoritarianism to tyranny — to keep order in a Muslim society. Perhaps Bashar Assad's current tribulations stem from his not being a chip off the old block, as the scions of successful Big Men rarely are.
Yes, now I do have some idea of what connections the Saudis had with Carter and Turner. The aforesaid Ghaith Pharaon bought Carter crony Bert Lance's share in National Bank of Georgia. Lance later introduced Carter to BCCI founder Hasan Abedi, who also paid off lance's $3.5 loan with First NAtional Bank of Chicago. Much of the Carter Center is endowed by Arab money. Turner's move into broadcasting in the 70s was financed largely by a BCCI front, TCI Communications. One could say that Carter and Turner are owned by Arab interests.
Michael Rubin acts like he has NO KNOWLEDGE of the One World Religion Organizing Convention of Sept/Oct 2000 In New York City timed to coincide with BOTH the UN and the Michail Gorbachev Foundation Convention, so that one day of it, they could have a joint session with these other two "convening bodies". It was NOT that well hidden. Within a few months, TAPES were played on TV and offered for sale. Some folks went into hiding, as well. nThat a man – Ted Turner – had such a hissy fit over some of his Catholic Employees showing up with the ash mark for Lent shortly after that, that the company had to give those employees paid leave for a while – so he could calm himself down and get himself back under control.
Michael Rubin acts like he has NO KNOWLEDGE of the One World Religion Organizing Convention of Sept/Oct 2000 In New York City timed to coincide with BOTH the UN and the Michail Gorbachev Foundation Convention, so that one day of it, they could have a joint session with these other two "convening bodies". It was NOT that well hidden. Within a few months, TAPES were played on TV and offered for sale. Some folks went into hiding, as well.
Furthermore, comparing Syria to Rwanda is misleading. In Rwanda, the United Nations had blue helmets on the ground, invited by the Rwandans to keep the peace after a ceasefire, much as Mark laid-out as criteria. What happened next was a rapid descent into violence, with the Security Council unable or unwilling to boost the peacekeeping forces mandate. n nIn Syria, Assad hasn't granted access for peacekeepers into his borders. It's entirely likely that he won't. The only way to get around that is, as in Libya, authorizing force to make him comply. Given the current situation, that isn't likely, and if it were, that group wouldn't be UN Peacekeepers by nature.