Editors' foreword.

• Position: Brief Article - Editorial

"But then peace, peace! I am so mistrustful of it: so much afraid that it means a sort of weakness and giving in." --D.H. Lawrence

We're a bit more optimistic about the prospects for peace than Lawrence was, but his comment implies issues inherent in peace operations: consent, neutrality, use of force and legitimacy.

Over the past decade, the number of peace operations undertaken by the international community has expanded exponentially, but we have been slow to examine the effectiveness of those operations. Although the Brahimi Report (a UN self-assessment, co-authored in 2000 by J. Brian Atwood, one of our contributors) suggested possible reforms, the process of analysis is far from over. The international community needs to learn from its mistakes, while adapting to the ever-changing global environment.

When we chose the topic of peacekeeping in June 2001, our goal was to evaluate the political, economic and social impacts of peace operations, taking into account the often under-examined perspectives of third world nations and the people affected by such operations.

After the September 11 attacks, we considered refocusing our energies on examining terror and low-intensity conflict. But, we decided that the debates surrounding peace operations were still--if not more--relevant in the context of the new war on terrorism. The attacks emphasized the increased role of non-state actors, technological change and the decentralization of the international system, all of which have significant implications for future peace operations.

Our articles deal specifically with these issues. The capstone essay, by Giandomenico Picco, notes the positive changes occurring within the UN structure. Naomi Weinberger applies lessons from other civil-military coordination experiences to the situation in Afghanistan. John Sanderson comments on the relationship between the military and humanitarian emergencies based on his experience as commander of the peace operation in Cambodia (UNTAC). And Michael E. O'Hanlon argues for an increase in deployable force size, suggesting that regional training initiatives could be part of the solution.

Other authors...