Organizing the interaction of nations participating in a multinational operation

Abstract

Abstract : What real coordination problems currently exist in the UN? First, a primary problem has been the lack of attention afforded to the whole issue of coordination, both in the sense of creating a special coordinating body and in the sense of setting up coordination procedures. Second, for several good reasons the participating nations cannot themselves take the initiative in this area, not prior to the naming of the necessary leadership and staffs. Initially, the participating nations do not yet know the nature of their missions, the contingent's composition, who their neighbors will be, etc. Thus, a mechanism should also be developed that would improve coordination, optimizing both the time needed to organize an operation (no longer than one month) and the operation's efficiency (avoiding any deviation from the contingent's missions as spelled out in the UN Security Council Mandate). What are the current difficulties of modern peacekeeping contingents? The following is a brief list of the some of the most important problems: 1. Lack of knowledge about the harsh procedures for information exchange within the UN; 2. Language problems at the unit-commander level; 3. Unique aspects of the mindsets of the national contingents; 4. Bureaucratic protocol and communications procedures; 5. Lack of any special UN guidelines with formalized interaction documents.