The United Nations in the Congo from 1960-64: Critical Assessment of a Tragic Intervention

Essay from the year 2009 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: Africa, , language: English, abstract: The role of the United Nations and the West in the Congo between 1960 and 1964 can only be characterised as a tragedy. We are still witnessing the consequences of the myopic and misguided policies that were pursued by UN officials and western leaders at the time. This paper elucidates the story of how Lumumba was first betrayed and then murdered. It analyses how historians and political scientists have treated the conflict and suggests ways in which scholars from the two disciplines can cooperate better and learn from one another. The paper reverts to international relations theories that adequately explain what happened between 1960 and 1964.This essay critically examines why UN intervention in the Congo failed to achieve the intended peace that constituted the rationale behind its intervention. The essay will argue that perceptions and misperceptions among UN members exacerbated a rift between the UN and the realities of the conflict. And the Cold War ideology at the time and Belgium¿s support for Moise Tshombe to secede Katanga because of their hatred for Patrice Lumumba, greatly hampered UN mission as a peace machinery.