From The West African Peacekeeping Operations In Africa After The Cold War Crisis Management Mode

Since Afucan Staes have won independence, there broke out many conflicts inAffica. In the latter of l980s, with the relaxation of illtetalional situations, althOughmany African conflicts in cold war era have eased up, some cofltradiction betweentribes, races and religions broke out. Liberia broke out civil war in December l989.Economic Commtalty of West African States (ECOWAS) cwhed out intervention inLiberian civil war in August 1990, which is the first intervention carred out byregional orgAnZaion.Wh do the regional organizations take lead in caping out intervention? Firstly,the United Nations has no caPability to intervene in Africa conflicts in the post-coldwar era. The Afocan confiicts in post-cold war era deferred from those in cold war era.Most of these coallicts in post-cold war era are intema1 condicts, which havespi11over and demonstration effects. It aggravates the theoretical and practicaldifficulties to resolve these conflicts. The falure of U.N. Somalis Operation madeU.N. peacekeeping operations at low ebb. Secondly, west powers do not suPport U.N.peacekeeping operations in Africa any longer. They isolated them from Afuca andeven abdicated their military presence in Affica. Thirdly, Organization of AfficanUnity (OAU) is willing to play a role in resolving African conflicts, but it is short offinancial resources and military caPabilities. Finally, in order to avoid the intemalcondicts to spi1l into the Whole region, the regional organization has to take theresponsibilityECOWAS made successes in resolving the confiicts in West Africa, which starithe ellterprises that Africans resolve Affican conflicts themse1ves. ms provides apattem for other regions of Affica. Howevef, the differences of other Affican regionsWest Afuca to be pattCm of some regions nd the same security environmeni andstrUcfore, while other regions should seek better methods.Under the circumshaCes, a new pthern of Affican confliCt managemam takesshaPe, in Which the U.N., OAU and regional powers and neighboring states play arole in resolving confiicts. The different actor plays diffeent role in different conflict.