In March 2000, the United Nations Secretary-General convened an international panel to conduct a major study on United Nations Peace Operations. Chaired by former Algerian Foreign Minister and currently Under-Secretary-General, Lakhdar Brahimi, the Panel was tasked to conduct a wide ranging study and analysis over lessons learnt from past operations such as those in Rwanda and Somalia, as well as current missions in Kosovo, East Timor and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Panel looked at how peacekeeping missions could achieve greater efficiency and success in attaining the key objectives of maintaining peace and promoting reconciliation and reconstruction. It also reviewed the context within which peacekeeping missions took place, the resources and limitations of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) specifically, and the modality, efficacy and extent of assistance rendered by the 'international community' within the framework of peacekeeping and peace-building in general.

The fifth conference in a series of conferences organised on lessons learnt from peacekeeping operations was held under the auspices of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) of Singapore and the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA). Throughout two intense days in Singapore, in April of 2001, an eminent group of academics, government officials, representatives of international organisations, representatives from ongoing UN Missions, and military scholars gathered behind closed doors to reflect upon the recommendations of the Brahimi Report and the obstacles to reform of peacekeeping.

This volume contains all the papers commissioned for that event. It also includes the Co-Chairs Report and Recommendations. The Report is a summary of the many animated debates that took place during the conference. Recommendations of the Co-Chairs have been drawn from the broad range of opinions and insights from the conference. The findings and reactions of the participants to the Brahimi Report should give policy-makers, researchers and international affairs analysts a candid review and critique of past experiences that is essential to the comprehension of the failures of current peacekeeping and requirements for the future success.

Against such a background and even as events were unfolding in East Timor and Kosovo, the fourth in a series of prestigious conferences organised on lessons learnt from peacekeeping operations was held under the auspices of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) of Singapore and the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA). Throughout two intense days in Singapore, in November of 1999, an eminent group academics, government officials, representatives of international organisations and military scholars gathered behind closed doors to reflect upon what has been coined the nexus between peacekeeping and peace-building.

This volume contains all the papers commissioned for that event. It also includes a summary of the many animated debates that took place during the conference. The broad range of opinions and perspectives it contains provides insights into a difficult and important topic, and demonstrates how dangerous it would be for the international community to ignore it. Four past cases (Angola, Haiti, Mozambique, and Cambodia) and two ongoing operations (Kosovo and East Timor) were analysed. The findings should give policy-makers, researchers and international affairs analysts a candid review and critique of past experiences that is essential to the comprehension of current peacekeeping missions and the requirement of peace-building strategies.

Azimi, Nassrine and Chang, Li Lin, ed. 2001. The Reform Process of United Nations Peace Operations: Debriefing And Lessons. London: Kluwer Law International for UNITAR.

(313 pages, ISBN 90-411-1700-8)