Angola and Mozambique: Similar Histories, Different Outcomes

Abstract

This chapter looks at two case studies—Angola and Mozambique. Since they are decades old, they may seem like an exercise in ancient history, but it is useful. They demonstrate what UN peacekeepers can achieve, what they can only influence, and what they cannot control. While multidimensional peacekeeping is almost nonexistent at the present time, it seems certain that the UN will be called upon to engage in again in the future. If the civil wars in Yemen, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Somalia, and elsewhere are ever brought to an end, there would likely be calls for peacekeepers to be sent into help make the peace permanent. If peacekeepers are deployed, their chances for success depend in large part on a number of factors particular to each conflict. They include the conflict’s history, what kind of peace there is to keep, how that peace was negotiated, and the intentions and good faith of the parties. But the most important are the resources of the country in question and the roles played by other states, which are difficult to impossible for the UN to control. Mozambique and Angola differed significantly in all of these conflict-specific factors, even though both countries were Portuguese colonies that obtained their independence at the same time and in the same way.