United Nations Research Paper. What Was The United Nations Role As Pea

United Nations Research Paper. What Was The United Nations Role As Peacekeeping Force In The North Korean Conflict TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION---------------------------------------------2 The birth of the United Nations BACKGROUND ----------------------------------------------3 The idea of peacekeeping KOREA --------------------------------------------------------4 The Korean War The UN's role in the Korean conflict ? UNTCOK & UNCOK --------------------------------4 ? UNKURK ----------------------------------------------4 ? Military forces in Korea - the final action --------6 Conclusion ---------------------------------------------------7 Bibliography -------------------------------------------------8 -1- Introduction The birth of the United Nations On August 14th, 1941, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, president of the United States and Winston Churchill, prime minister of the United Kingdom proposed a set of principles for international collaboration in maintaining peace and security. The document, signed during a meeting on the ship HMS Prince of Wales, somewhere at sea, is known as the Atlantic Charter. On 1 January 1942, representatives of 26 Allied nations fighting against the Axis Powers met in Washington, D.C. to pledge their support for the Atlantic Charter by signing the Declaration by United Nations. This document contained the first official use of the term United Nations, which was suggested by President Roosevelt. On the 24 October 1945 United Nations is created as its Charter is ratified by the five permanent members of the Security Council and the majority of other signatories, and becomes established as force to guarantee peace keeping. Since its birth in 1945 the United Nations (UN) has been involved in several peace-threatening conflicts. In this research paper I will focus on the United Nation's position in the Korean conflict, and how effective it has been in its role as a peacekeeping force? -2- Background The idea of peace keeping The first purpose of the United Nations enunciated in the Charter is to maintain international peace and security. The term peace-keeping, however, does not appear in that document, and the very concept - non-violent use of military force to preserve peace - differs fundamentally from the enforcement action described in the Charter. The organ to which the Charter assigns primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security is the Security Council. Implementation of the Charter's relevant provisions relies largely on the unanimous consent of the Council's permanent members - China, France, the Russian Federation (originally Soviet Union), the United Kingdom and the United States. Efficient United Nations-peacekeeping requires: - the full consent and cooperation of all the parties - United Nation peacekeepers must maintain their neutrality - they must have a clear and practicable mandate - Member States must support them with the necessary human and financial resources; and the commitment of the parties to pursue peace. Peacekeeping can only work out and be effective, if (a) the parties to a conflict demonstrate the political will to respect agreements and permit UN personnel to carry out their tasks, and (b) the United Nations can only be as effective as the Member States allow it to be. -3- Korea The Korean War In Korea wartime commitments to postwar cooperation had quickly turned to cold-war hostilities and the partition of a nation straddling the boundary between East and West. In August 1945 the Japanese, who had ruled Korea since 1910, surrendered to U.S. forces in the area south of the 38th parallel. North of that line, they surrendered to the Soviet Red Army. Thus Korea became divided in North Korea (Soviet) and South-Korea (USA)- zones of occupation. The USA and the Soviet Union were deadlocked over fulfilling a plan from their 1945 Moscow accord for a 4-power trusteeship over Korean pending elections. The UN's involvement in the Korean conflict UNTCOK & UNCOK The USA brought the matter to the General Assembly, which, over Soviet objections, set up a series of commissions to foster Korea's transition into independence. In November 1947 the UN established the UN Temporary Commission on Korea (UNTCOK) in order to survey elections. Furthermore they wanted to give aid to elected delegates to set up a government. Due to the refusal of cooperation of the Soviet Union and North Korea the UN had no impact on the North. Only in the South the UN commission could help to open up the electoral process. Although only partially successfully surveyed, the South Korean elections took place in May 1948. Subsequently, the Assembly created the UN commission on Korea (UNCOK) to assist in unifying the country. But the North continued to refuse all cooperation whereas the South Korean refused to accept its UN mandates to interfere in