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In June 1995, after two years of a virtual standoff, the protagonists have started a major shooting war against the international community to let them withdraw its troops. As the large Muslim army launched its most aggressive offensive ever, U.N. soldiers stood by while Muslim government and Serb forces emptied the heavy-weapons collection points around Sarajevo. The \"peacekeepers\" then waited nervously for the Bosnian Croats to join the fight. Meeting in Halifax the G-7 leaders of the major industrial democracies seemed less interested in Bosnia then in developing an early-warning system for economic calamities like Mexico. Sure, it\'s important to help non-, or low industrialized countries, but what is more important than saving lives in this terrible war? I think the answer is money. In comparison to Kuwait Bosnia has now large oil-fields. Another reason could be, that the U.N. is at low budget.
That hard facts showed, that U.N. forces were not able or not allowed to take vigorous action there. As lightly armed troops, U.N..soldiers operated under highly restricted rules of engagement and paid a terrible price. The U.N. peacekeeping force in Bosnia suffered more than 100 fatalities, including 56 French and 18 British soldiers. This was a further reason more to send more resistently troops to Bosnia. As peace enforcers serving under NATO command, the French, British, American and other members of the 60,000-men strong international implementation force have carried heavy weapons and they were authorized to shoot not only if they came under fire, but even if they were just threatened.
The U.N. have to be praised for their highly restricted rules of engagement, because nobody would be hurt intentionally. But this doesn\'t alter the fact that these rules claim so many human life\'s. The U.N. leader(s) should not send troops to a theatre of war, if their soldiers are not allowed to defend themselves. The mission in Bosnia , which began in 1992 and is just winding up, can only be described as a horrendous failure.
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