"But I believe that the DPKO at this time was very much involved with American administration and was acting, taking on consideration the demand or the recommendation of the American administration. American administration was very powerful"
- Boutros Boutros-Ghali
About this Quote
This quote by Boutros Boutros-Ghali recommends that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) was greatly influenced by the American administration during his time as Secretary-General of the United Nations. He suggests that the DPKO was taking into consideration the needs and recommendations of the American administration, which he acknowledges as being really effective. This suggests that the American administration had a substantial quantity of influence over the DPKO and its operations. This could be seen as a form of interference in the operations of the United Nations, as the American administration was able to dictate the actions of the DPKO. This could be viewed as a violation of the United Nations Charter, which mentions that all member states ought to act in accordance with the concepts of the Charter and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of other states.
"Developments in information technology and globalised media mean that the most powerful military in the history of the world can lose a war, not on the battlefield of dust and blood, but on the battlefield of world opinion"
"We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded"
