See Prime Numbers: Soldiers of Misfortune by Elizabeth Dickinson in the May/June issue of Foreign Policy.: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4869
As a military force, United Nations peacekeepers are expanding at a rate greater than any current national standing military. Even though their budget has increased 7 fold over the past 10 years, so has their role with over 20 peacekeeping missions currently in operation.
Why are peacekeepers predominantly staffed from developing countries? Apart from a queasiness/hesitancy of western national involvement (Somalia 1993 and Rwanda 1994), consider that a Pakistani PK can make more than 12 times their normal monthly military salary serving as a peacekeeper.
Peacekeepers are often under trained, deployed to increasing volatile theaters, under equipped and called to fill roles of 'complexity creep' and all on the cheap.
As the U.S. considers further extension of forces into Afghanistan together with the existing $669 million contribution it has yet to pay the U.N., one might wonder if the political will exists to help build the DKPO into something more than a token force.
Simon Meyer, Master of Public Affairs student, Humphrey Institute
