Publisher's Note - Answers important questions about the UN's competency to handle complex military operations today - Includes timely analyses of the debacles in Somalia and the former Yugoslavia Blue Helmets is the first book to address the UN's performance over the past fifty years as an employer of military force and to examine the organizations ability to handle military operations. With UN operations now costing billions of dollars each year and involving tens of thousands of troops in dangerous operations, many observers have questioned what the appropriate role of the UN should be. The answer will have a profound impact on the future of collective security. Blue Helmets is necessary reading for anyone interested in the United Nations and international security in today's volatile world.