Regional Peacekeeping: An Alternative to United Nations Operations?

The end of the Cold War has produced many changes in the international system. One significant change is the growing demand for United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces to end hostilities around the globe. The nature and scope of these demands have strained the UN's ability to respond. In October 1993, the UN was managing 80.000 multinational troops in sixteen separate operations. As the UN's tasks have increased in scope and number. UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali has called for alternative peacekeeping operations to supplement UN sponsored missions. In his An Agenda for Peace, Boutros-Ghali proposed that regional organizations could play a larger role in resolving conflicts among and within their member states. This article will evaluate the advantages and limitations these two types of forces have in responding to similar conflicts. To evaluate whether regional peacekeeping forces are a viable, or perhaps superior, alternative to UN peacekeeping operations. I will compare the results of intervention in Liberia and Somalia by ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and United Nations forces respectively.