Casualties of the new world order

"This book searches for causes of the spectacular failures of UN missions after the Cold War. Drawing on theories of international relations, and interviews with diplomats, UN officials, and peacekeepers, it contends that the missions that failed all contained common weaknesses, which were particularly vulnerable in the ferocious civil conflicts that the UN became involved with after the Cold War." "The analysis traces these mission weaknesses to the control that coalitions of self-interested and distracted UN states continue to exercise over the missions' planning, mandates, resourcing and operations. Rivalries and misdiagnoses within these coalitions often produce missions that are misconceived, inappropriately resourced, and charged with unrealistic tasks." "In arguing this case, this book provides unique insights into some of the mediation and peacekeeping missions that have dominated the past five years' headlines. It examines not only the failures, in Bosnia, Somalia and Angola, but also the UN's successes in El Salvador, Mozambique and Cambodia."--BOOK JACKET.