Stepping out of the Shadow: South America and Peace Operations

Abstract

South American states' contributions to peace operations have experienced rapid growth over the last decade. While this alone merits the attention of analysts, the growing North–South gap in the norms and practice of these missions places even greater emphasis on the natural intermediary functions these states can perform. Within the context of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, these states have begun to develop a distinctive approach to peacebuilding. After describing the basic historical and political features specific to the region, this introduction presents a special issue that explores that incipient model with an eye to providing analytical insights and stimuli to further research.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This Special Issue is, in its majority, the fruit of an international seminar held in April 2010 at the Institute for International Relations at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, entitled ‘Europe and Latin America in Peace Operations: Comparative Perspectives and Practices’. The event brought together more than thirty scholars from four continents, with the aim of increasing dialogue on practical and theoretical issues between academics and practitioners—both civilian and military. As such, it is conceived with its bridge function in mind, in the interest of increasing research links and fostering the integration of the South American region into broader international debates. The author and organizer of the event would like to thank the following institutions for their support, without which the conference and this collection would not have been possible: CAPES (Brazilian Ministry of Education), the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the European Commission Delegation in Brazil, the governments of Canada and Norway, and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro.

Notes

Cited by Ana Luiza Zenker, Agência Brasil, ‘Embaixador admite resistência de haitianos à presença de tropas’ [Ambassador Admits Haitian Resistance to Troop Presence], Clube Juridico do Brasil, 14 Oct. 2008, at: www.clubjus.com.br/?artigos&ver=7.21577, author's translation.

The term ‘South America’ has been preferred throughout this issue, as it more accurately reflects the self-identification of the actors involved. Generally speaking, the focus is on the main contributors to MINUSTAH. Where reference is meant to include Central American troop contributors, or in original references, ‘Latin America’ has been used. As a rule, ‘hemispheric security’ refers to efforts involving both American continents, often under US leadership.

See Wenche Hauge, ‘A Latin American Agenda for Peace’, International Peacekeeping, Vol.16, No.5, 2009, pp.685–98; Arturo Sotomayor Velásquez, ‘Different Paths an Divergent Policies in the UN Security System: Brazil and Mexico in Comparative Perspective’, International Peacekeeping, Vol.16, No.3, 2009, pp.364–78; and several contributions focusing on the locus of this Latin American cooperation, Haiti, notably Robert Muggah and Keith Krause, ‘Closing the Gap between Peace Operations and Post-conflict Insecurity: Towards a Violence Reduction Agenda’, International Peacekeeping, Vol.16, No.1, 2009, pp.136–50.

See Richard Gowan, ‘The United States and Peacekeeping Policy in Europe and Latin America: An Uncertain Catalyst?’, International Peacekeeping, Vol.15, No.1, 2008, p.92; special issue of International Peacekeeping, on the ‘liberal peace’, Kristoffer Lidén, Roger MacGinty and Oliver Richmond (eds), Vol.16, No.5, 2009.

On the history and contemporary conditions of Haiti see Steeve Coupeau, The History of Haiti, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2008; Etienne D. Charlier, Aperçu sur la formation historique de la nation haïtienne [Historical Survey of the Formation of the Haitian Nation], 2nd edn, Montréal: Éditions DAMI, 2009; Christophe Wargny, Haïti n'existe pas – 1804–2004: deux cents ans de solitude [Haiti Does Not Exist: Two Hundred Years of Solitude], Paris: Autrement, 2008; World Bank, Social Resilience and State Fragility in Haiti, Washington, DC, 2007.

See, e.g., Raúl Benítez, ‘América Latina: operaciones de paz y acciones militares internacionales de las fuerzas armadas’ [Latin America: peace operations and international military actions of its armed forces], Foro Internacional, Vol.47, No.1, 2007, pp.99–116.

Definitrans of the Southern Cone vary and can include up to five or even six states (ARG, CHI, URU, BRA, PAR, BOL). In the peacekeeping context Brazil is generally included in the Southern Cone.

Carlos Calvo, Le droit international théorique et pratique; précédé d'un exposé historique des progrès de la science du droit des gens [The Theory and Practice of International Law; Preceded by a Historical Account of the Progress on the Study of the Law of Nations], Paris: A. Rousseau, 1896.

With the incipient exceptions of Chile, which has incorporated human security into defence white papers, and the increasing rhetorical reference to a ‘diplomacy of solidarity’ in statements from Brazilian diplomats. See also Paulo Gustavo Pellegrino Correa, ‘MINUSTAH e diplomacia solidária: criação de um novo paradigma nas operações de paz?’ [MINUSTAH and the Diplomacy of Solidarity: Creation of a New Paradigm for Peace Operations?], MA thesis, Universidade Federal São Carlos, 2009, at: www.progp.ufscar.br/progp/ppgpol/arquivos/File/paulo.pdf.

On the current role of the OAS, see Paz Verónica Milet, ‘El rol de la OEA. El difícil camino de prevención y resolución de conflictos a nivel regional’ [The Role of the OAS. The Difficult Road to Conflict Prevention at a Regional Level], Revista Futuros, Vol.3, No.10, 2005, at: www.revistafuturos.info.

Kai Michael Kenkel, ‘Military–Military Cooperation, Regional Integration and Training for Peacekeeping Operations: Brazil and the Southern Cone’, in Gerhard Kümmel, Adrian Ratkic and Henrik Fürst (eds), Core Values and the Expeditionary Mindset, Baden-Baden: Nomos, forthcoming.

The ‘2 × 9’ mechanism and UNASUR/UNASUL, as well as the general dynamics of regional defence policy integration surrounding peace operations, are the focus of the contribution by Rut Diamint to this volume. See also Paulo Tripodi and Andrés Villar, ‘Haití: la encrucijada de una intervención latinoamericana’ [Haiti: A Latin American Intervention at the Crossroads], Fuerzas Armadas y Sociedad, Vol.19, No.1, 2005, pp.17–35.

UN Security Council res. 1353, ‘Strengthening co-operation with troop-contributing countries’, 13 June 2001.

ENOPU website, at: www.ejercito.mil.uy/comsocial/enopu/index.html

CAECOPAZ website, at: www.caecopaz.mil.ar

CECOPAC website, at: www.cecopac.cl

CCOPAB website, at: http://ccopab.eb.mil.br

Luciana Micha, ‘Una visión integrada de la participación Argentina en MINUSTAH’ [An Integrated View of Argentina's Participation in MINUSTAH], Security and Defense Studies Review, Vol.5, No.1, 2005, p.1.

See Pablo Vignolles, ‘El Valor de las Fuerzas Armadas como Instrumento de la Política Exterior: Argentina en misiones de paz y coaliciones militares’ [The Value of the Armed Forces as an Instrument of Foreign Policy: Argentina in Peace Missions and Military Coalitions], Security and Defense Studies Review, Vol.2, No.1, pp.143–88.

For comparative analyses of Argentina, Brazil and Chile as TCCs, see Elsa Llenderrozas, ‘Los incentivos de Argentina, Brasil y Chile para participar en la misión MINUSTAH en Haití. Su impacto en los mecanismos de cooperación en operaciones de paz’ [Incentives for Participation in MINUSTAH by Argentina, Brazil and Chile. The Impacts of Cooperation Mechanisms and peace operations], MA thesis, Latin American School of Social Science (FLACSO), Argentina, 2004; Ricardo A. Runza, ‘Misiones, despliegue y organización de las Fuerzas Armadas de Argentina, Brasil y Chile’ [Emissions, Deployment and the Organization of the Armed Forces in Argentina, Brazil and Chile], Fuerzas Armadas y Sociedad, Vol.18, Nos 1–2, 2005, pp.155–81.

On the participation by almost all MINUSTAH TCCs see John T. Fishel and Andrés Sáenz (eds), Capacity Building for Peacekeeping: The Case of Haiti, Washington, DC: National Defense University Press, 2007.

Interview with senior Uruguayan Army officer, ENOPU, 17 July 2009, Montevideo; Cristina Zurbriggen, ‘Política exterior, defensa y las operaciones de paz: ¿una estrategia coherente? El caso de Uruguay’ [Foreign policy, defence and peace operations: a coherent strategy? The case of Uruguay], Fuerzas Armadas y Sociedad, Vol.19, No.1, 2005, pp.85–109; Julián González Guyer, ‘MINUSTAH, Sudamérica y desafios y limitaciones de las misiones de paz de “última generación”’ [MINUSTAH, South America, and challenges and limitations of the last-generation peace missions], paper presented at 21st World Congress of the International Political Science Association, Santiago de Chile, 12–16 July 2009, at: www.haitiuruguay.com.uy/materiales/haiti/julian%2520gonzalez%2520guyer%2520ipsa%25202009%2520minustah.pdf; Julián González Guyer, ‘Tropas uruguayas en misiones de paz o la hemiplejia de la política exterior. El riesgoso compromiso sudamericano en Haití y los límites de las estrategias internacionales de reconstrucción post-conflicto’ [Uruguayan troops in peace operations and the paralysis of foreign policy. The risky South American commitment in Haiti and the limits of international strategies of post-conflict reconstruction], paper presented at the VIIII Jornadas de Investigación de la FCS, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Sept. 2009, at: www.haitiuruguay.com.uy/materiales/haiti/julian%2520gonzalez%2520guyer%2520jornadas2009.pdf.

Ana Luiza Zenker, ‘Brasileiro não conhece o trabalho das tropas no Haiti, diz embaixatriz’ [Brazilians don't know the work of Brazilian troops in Haiti, says Ambassador's wife], Agência Brasil, 14 Oct. 2008, at: http://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/arquivo/node/354637.

UN Secretary-General, ‘An Agenda for Peace: Preventive Diplomacy, Peacemaking and Peace-Keeping. Report of the Secretary-General Pursuant to the Statement Adopted by the Summit Meeting of the Security Council on 31 January 1992’, 17 June 1992, at: www.un.org/Docs/SG/agpeace.html

DPKO, New Horizon Report, at: www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/newhorizon.shtml.

Fred Tanner, ‘Addressing the Perils of Peace Operations: Toward a Global Peacekeeping System’, Global Governance, Vol.16, No.2, 2010, p.209.

See Lidén et al. (n.4 above).

Benítez (see n.6 above), p.112.

On some of the difficulties to be overcome, institutional and otherwise, see Mônica Hirst and Elsa Llenderrozas, ‘La dimensión política de la presencia en Haití: los desafíos para el ABC+U’ [The political dimension of the presence in Haiti: challenges for ABC+U], paper presented at the Segunda Reunión de Reflexión sobre la Cooperación Argentina con Haití del Proyecto ‘La Reconstrucción de Haití. Fortaleciendo las capacidades de Argentina para una cooperación efectiva’ [Second Meeting Reflecting on Argentine Cooperation with Haiti on the Project ‘Reconstruction of Haiti: Strengthening Argentina's Capacity for Effective Cooperation’], Buenos Aires, 7–8 July 2008, at: www.haitiargentina.org/content/download/405/1632/file/Paper%2520Hirst%2520Llenderrozas.pdf