Is there Utility in Applying Military Strategy in UN Missions?

Abstract

During the last decade many European and North American countries have focused their military troop contributions to operations in Afghanistan. Mindful of the austere economic situation for most of these countries, the announced plans for withdrawal of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops is likely to generate a fresh perspective on future engagement in military operations. The United States (US) political and economic situation suggests that their military involvement is likely to be vetted against national interests more than that has been the case. In a similar vein, the United Kingdom (UK) is struggling with economic reforms on top of the combat fatigue that more than a decade of sustained operations in Afghanistan and Iraq has generated. France has similar challenges, albeit on a limited scale. As a consequence, the likelihood of new and ambitious North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the European Union (EU) operations is slim, unless European and/or American vital security interests are at stake.