Consistent protection for civilians

The UN has been quick to choose the military option two times running, first in Libya and now in Ivory Coast. For the left-liberal daily Der Standard this marks a turning point for the UN Peacekeeping Forces. "The UN is now getting down to brass tacks militarily. That is new. ... The intervention in Libya gave the UN a strong argument for taking even more resolute action. When civilians are being given military protection in North Africa you can't just look away when you've got a mandate to intervene in West Africa. The fact that the basic conflict over what sort of intervention is justified and when it amounts to inadmissible meddling in domestic affairs is still unresolved is demonstrated by the strong criticism expressed by certain states, first and foremost the sceptic Russia. In any event there is good reason to doubt that the UN is now turning into a global policeman. Nevertheless for all their differences the examples in Libya and Ivory Coast show under what conditions there is a chance to protect civilian lives in the future."

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