Newly minted U.N Ambassador Samantha Power criticized the U.N. Security Council’s inability to effectively address the conflict in Syria, but this paper looks into ways that blue helmet clad troops can help support self-protection programs in conflict zones. With U.S. troops having supported major peacekeeping operations in the past, this topic is especially pertinent to help increase the efficacy of these operations in the future. Aditi Gorur at the Stimson Center says peacekeepers often do not consider how their presence might augment current self-protection programs, and often undermine strategies laid out by local communities. The paper relies on research done in the Democratic Republic of Congo, along with numerous interviews conducted with civil society groups and community leaders in the country.
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