Send in the blue helmets...err briefcases?

How to prevent war torn countries from relapsing into violence once the dust settles?

FCNL has urged the U.S. government to fund a robust civilian response corps, or a cadre of civilians with skills in law, policing, economics, health systems, agriculture and public administration to help train police forces, establish basic services and reinvigorate financial markets in fragile states.

The United Nations is now considering establishing a permanent civilian response capacity, similar to the United State's nascent civilian response corps. This week, the UN Security Council heard an assessment of the four year old "Peacebuilding Commission."

One of the recommendations Security Council states heard was to establish a permanent civilian counterpart to UN peacekeepers that would have the skills and the means to help war ravaged countries put the pieces back together. As The Economist notes, in peacekeeping situations, "the UN cannot stop the war unless it is also able to win the peace."

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