'Impartiality' and the UN Observation Group in Lebanon, 1958

Abstract

Both the United Nations and eminent scholars regard impartiality as one of the key principles of peacekeeping. Yet there has been scant primary research into the extent to which UN peacekeeping operations have successfully maintained impartiality in the field. This article explores the premise that operational impartiality is crucial for the success of peacekeeping operations, by reference to the UN Observation Group in Lebanon (UNOGIL). UNOGIL was despatched to Lebanon in June 1958 'to ensure' an absence of 'illegal infiltration of men or supplies of arms or other materiel across the Lebanese borders'. Not only were the UN Secretariat and UNOGIL officers far from impartial, but the operation was not the success that has often been claimed.