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Blue Helmet by Edward H. Carpenter

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Blue Helmet

My Year As a UN Peacekeeper in South Sudan

Edward H. Carpenter, Gen. Apurba Kumar Bardalai

Potomac Books · Print & ebook · March 1, 2025

Reading lane: East African History

At a Glance

Who It's For

Good for readers who enjoy East African HistoryGood for readers interested in memoirGood for readers who enjoy East African History and Central African History.

Book Details

Authors
Edward H. Carpenter, Gen. Apurba Kumar Bardalai
Publisher
Potomac Books
Published
March 1, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
East African History · Central African History
Reading lane
East African History

Affinity

Publisher Categories

  • Military Lives

  • Personal Memoirs

  • East African History

  • Diplomacy

About This Book

Blue Helmet: My Year as a UN Peacekeeper in South Sudan tells the story of a country, a conflict, and the institution of peacekeeping through the eyes of a senior American military officer working on the ground in one of the most dangerous countries on the planet. South Sudan is rich in natural resources, and its fertile soil could make it the breadbasket of East Africa. Yet it remains the poorest and most corrupt country in the region, plagued by disease, famine, and ethnic...

Read full description

Blue Helmet: My Year as a UN Peacekeeper in South Sudan tells the story of a country, a conflict, and the institution of peacekeeping through the eyes of a senior American military officer working on the ground in one of the most dangerous countries on the planet. South Sudan is rich in natural resources, and its fertile soil could make it the breadbasket of East Africa. Yet it remains the poorest and most corrupt country in the region, plagued by disease, famine, and ethnic strife. Abductions, sexual violence, death, and displacement affect tens of thousands of people each year. Edward H. Carpenter pulls readers into his world, allowing them to experience the powerful, poignant realities of being a peacekeeper in South Sudan. In the process, the author reveals how the United Nations really conducts its missions: what it tolerates and how it often falls short of achieving the aims of its charter—equal rights, justice, and economic advancement for all people—with the use of armed forces limited to serving those common interests by keeping the peace and preventing the scourge of war. It is a story that is eye-opening, unsettling, and always compelling. Global leaders may fairly claim that they have done everything they can to help South Sudan help itself: they’ve dispatched thousands of peacekeepers and provided billions of dollars in aid. So why is the UN still struggling to fulfill its mandate to protect civilians and safeguard the delivery of humanitarian assistance? What could be done better? Bringing the reader to the forefront of action, Blue Helmet answers these questions and raises others about how modern peacekeeping missions are organized and overseen, shedding light on some of the contradictions at the heart of peacekeeping.

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