Crisis management experts are calling for the creation of a “United Nations army” an international rapid reaction force that could be deployed within 48 hours to intervene in emergency situations around the globe. Composed of up to 15,000 military, police and civilian staff, including medics, the proposed force would be recruited from professionals hired by the U.N. from many countries, and based at designated U.N. sites. Its actions would be authorized by the U.N. Security Council, according to the Toronto Star. “It’s not a new idea, but it has now come into its own,” said Peter Langille of University of Western Ontario, one of the major contributors to the book “A United Nations Emergency Peace Service: To Prevent Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, which will be presented at the U.N. on Friday. “With countries moving away from U.N. peacekeeping, and troops overstretched in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq, (the rapid reaction force) has new appeal.”
