With the best of intentions: Lessons from UNOSOM I and II

The introduction of United Nations peacekeeping troops into Somalia was supposed to be the first of many such operations in the new world order. What went wrong in Somalia and what implications are there for the future of U.N. peacekeeping? This article explores these questions and identifies a list of lessons designed to assist the United Nations in fulfilling the potential suggested by the Somali operations, while avoiding some of the pitfalls. These lessons include the need for early warning and early action, coordinating with NGOs and local actors, strengthening command and control, not sending a traditional peacekeeping force to do an enforcement job, humanitarian assistance‐ during conflict requiring enforcement action, peacekeeping not always translating into conflict resolution, and peacekeeping being inherently problematic in civil conflict.