Joseph R. Rudolph Jr.

Most peacekeeping ventures—whether undertaken by the United Nations or by individual countries—have been unable to restore peace permanently to war-torn areas so that the peacekeepers could withdraw, argues Joseph R. Rudolph Jr. in the following viewpoint. He contends that peacekeeping interventions are generally unsuccessful because ethnic conflicts are inherently explosive and because the peacekeepers often take sides—or appear to take sides—in the conflict. Furthermore, Rudolph maintains, peacekeeping often fails because the intervening countries are unsure of their role as peacekeepers and uncertain how to resolve the conflict. Rudolph is a professor of political science at Towson State University in Maryland and the author of several articles and a book on ethnic conflict.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What examples does Rudolph present...