Understanding local dynamics in civil wars
Multinational military troops are increasingly deployed to internal wars characterised by multiethnic violence, paramilitary regimes and autocratic state leadership. Their closeness to the local populations presents interesting implications for contemporary peacekeeping training programmes. In most cases, the paramilitaries and warlords garner local support by convincing indigenous populations that their allegiance will be rewarded with the provision of individual security and protection. In these circumstances, building confidence among the local groups and swaying their support away from the destructive regimes becomes a priority for the intervention forces. The success of the multinational forces in redirecting this allegiance depends largely on how the force is perceived as a credible security provider. This article explains how differences in national military approaches observed in Haiti and Bosnia compromised the overall credibility of the multinational force and its mandate. It concludes by evaluating the UN multinational military training programmes to help explain why such disparities in military conduct exist.