The Limits of Peacekeeping: Volume 4, The Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations
Australian Missions in Africa and the Americas, 1992–2005

This volume explores the Australian government's peacekeeping efforts in Africa and the Americas from 1992 to 2005.

Jean Bou (Edited by), Bob Breen (Edited by), David Horner (Edited by), Garth Pratten (Edited by), Miesje de Vogel (Edited by)

9781107101968, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 10 October 2018

680 pages, 12 b/w illus. 112 colour illus. 17 maps
25.2 x 17.8 x 4.5 cm, 1.52 kg

The Limits of Peacekeeping highlights the Australian government's peacekeeping efforts in Africa and the Americas from 1992 to 2005. Changing world power structures and increased international cooperation saw a boom in Australia's peacekeeping operations between 1991 and 1995. The initial optimism of this period proved to be misplaced, as the limits of the United Nations and the international community to resolve deep-seated problems became clear. There were also limits on how many missions a middle-sized country like Australia could support. Restricted by the size of the armed forces and financial and geographic constraints, peacekeeping was always a secondary task to ensuring the defence of Australia. Faith in the effectiveness of peacekeeping reduced significantly, and the election of the Howard Coalition Government in 1996 confined peacekeeping missions to the near region from 1996–2001. This volume is an authoritative and compelling history of Australia's changing attitudes towards peacekeeping.

1. Whither the good international citizen? Australia's approach to peacekeeping, 1991–96
Part I. Somalia: 2. Towards peace enforcement: Australia responds to the Somalia disaster, 1992
3. Australian Force Somalia: deploying the 1 RAR Battalion Group, December 1992–January 1993
4. 'The unforgiving school of trial and error': the 1 RAR Battalion Group in Somalia, January–February 1993
5. Achieving the mission: Australian civil–military operations in Somalia, April–May 1993
6. Maintaining a commitment: Australia's role in Unosom II, 1993
7. 'Our name would not be worth much … if we turned tail': withdrawing from Somalia, 1994–95
Part II. Rwanda: 8. 'Somebody do something': the Rwandan genocide and Australia, 1994
9. After the tempest: the first contingent to Rwanda, August 1994–February 1995
10. Increasingly unwelcome guests: the second contingent to Rwanda, February–August 1995
11. Mandate meets reality: Kibeho, April 1995
Part III. The Keating Government's Last Missions: 12. A success story in Africa: Australia and the Mozambique elections, 1994
13. Adrift in Africa: Australian deminers in Mozambique, 1994–2002
14. One for the alliance: the commitment to Haiti, 1994–95
15. To the Caribbean: Australian police operations in Haiti, 1994–95
Part IV. The Howard Government's Missions: 16. Defining the national interest: the Howard Government and peacekeeping, 1996–2001
17. Universal peacekeepers? Guatemala, 1997
18. 'Backing a winner': Australia and the UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, 2001–05
19. 'Two guys can, and do, make a difference': Australian advisers in Sierra Leone, 2001–03.

Subject Areas: Military history [HBW], Australasian & Pacific history [HBJM]