Talking about the Revolution: International Peacekeepers Day

I am about to tackle my four thousand word essay on Georgia and Russia (and Russia's tendency to consider the general international concensus and then do the exact opposite) but before I attempt this arduous task I just wanted to mention that tomorrow (May29th) is officially "International Peacekeepers Day".

It's all about the "Blue Beret", the tragedies and triumphs of the United Nations and the prospects of coming closer and closer to peace.

And it is important to remember those that have sacrificed so much, the individual men and women, police officers, military observers, soldiers, volunteers, builders... the list goes on. Some have lost their lives in the name of peace. Kudos to the thousands of these people who continue to struggle, often unacknowledged, against the violence and evils of the world. It is an inspiration to see their idealism flourish in the most barren scenes of humanity.

Don't think that I am not acknowledging the shortcomings in UN attempted peacekeeping operations (Rwanda, Darfur, The Congo), and the continual presence of civil warfare, conflict related deaths and human rights violations. It is important to reflect on this.

However, tomorrow is all about looking into the future. We have come along way in terms of international cooperation and diplomacy, and the shift in patterns of thinking from an isolationist "empire-centric" sort of paradigm to a genuine desire for peace and prosperity is apparent. We even have instituions and legislation that is making an attempt to tackle issues. Where we once had structures that implicitly promoted inequality, warfare and violations of Human Rights, today we have structures and institutions in place to counteract these.

We are far from absolute success but we are on the right track!

So take a minute to stop and consider the plight of peacekeepers and their contribution to the progress towards global peace and wellbeing.

Gambian Soldiers in Darfur (donning the Blue Beret)