Peacekeeping
Avoiding A Ramadan Riot in Afghanistan
In Islamic countries, it is customary to pay a Ramadan bonus, much like a Christmas bonus. It is usually equal to one month’s salary and is handed out just before the Eid celebrations. The second year I was in Afghanistan, on the last working day before Eid we had issued the bonus to all the…
Read MoreHow To Cope With Death Every Day in Somalia
Now for another chapter from my new, as yet unpublished manuscript. It concerns the end of my first assignment as a U.N. Peacekeeper in Somalia, one of my most dangerous assignments. Death was all too common and you had to learn to deal with it. Coping With Death After witnessing the student’s death, any reluctance…
Read MoreThis Is Why He Has War In His Heart
The soldier striding into my office didn’t smile; his worn fatigues bore the insignia of the South Sudanese Army. He introduced himself through his translator as Lt. Rashadd and offered me a limp but sweaty palm. I greeted him and motioned for him to take a seat. Instead, he eyed me with a feral glare…
Read MoreA Day In The Life Of A PeaceKeeper Part Two
The UN wasn’t created to take mankind into paradise, but rather to save humanity from hell ~ Dag Hammarskjold As I explained in my last blog entry, part one of a two-part series, I recently gave a presentation to the Lansing, Michigan chapter of the United Nations Association as part of a popular series called Java…
Read MoreA Day in the Life of a Peacekeeper
The UN wasn’t created to take mankind into paradise, but rather to save humanity from hell ~ Dag Hammarskjold Recently I gave a presentation to the Lansing, Michigan chapter of the United Nations Association as part of a popular series called Java Café: a presentation on a topic of interest followed by questions and lively…
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