Nobody attacks a stronger opponent

From 2013 to 2017, 195 UN peacekeepers have been killed by acts of violence, more than during any other 5-year period.  In 2017, 56 were killed, the highest number since 1994.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres requested Lt. Gen. Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, a retired Brazilian military officer, to lead a high-level review of UN peacekeeping because of the spike in fatalities.  His report, "Nobody attacks a stronger opponent," was released on January 22d and faulted "a deficit of leadership" that prevented the peacekeeping forces from adapting to the reality that they have become targets.  The United Nations is most often attacked as a result of inaction, the report stated.

To remedy the spike in fatalities the report recommends that the UN peacekeepers deter and repel attacks and use force to defeat attackers.  The peacekeeping missions "should identify threats to their security and take the initiative, using all the tactics, to neutralize or eliminate the threats.  Missions should go where the threat is, in order to neutralize it.  Missions should also push combat to the night, to take advantage of their superior technology."

Although it is clear that the blue helmet and the UN flag no longer offer sufficient protection from attacks, especially in Africa, turning the peacekeepers into warriors might require calling them something else.