Module 8

The Architect of Peacekeeping
21 minutes

In the summer of 1956, the Middle East is once again in flames. At issue is the control of the Suez Canal. When the conflict threatens to erupt into a world war, the Security Council steps in, setting up the first United Nations Emergency Peacekeeping Force. Bunche is put in charge of the entire operation. Within 10 days he has pulled together a multi-national armed peacekeeping force under UN control - the first ever - and deployed it to Egypt. The crisis is defused and the rules of conduct that Bunche set down for UN peacekeeping operations are still in use today. This accomplishment earns Bunche the title "Father of UN Peacekeeping."