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Where is the Lone Ranger when we need him? America's search for a postconflict stability force.

Article Excerpt
Robert M. Perito

United States Institute of Peace Press, Washington, D.C. 2004

400 pages, Notes, Index

In the wake of current developments in Kosovo, Robert Perito's work on an American post-conflict stability force merits another look. This book documents post conflict security issues in the Balkans, providing lessons learned and insight into similar interventions elsewhere.

Perito's suggests the United States should have a "constabulary" force that has both military and police capacity, with power that exceeds traditional policing standards but falls short of full-blown military might, coupled with intimate local knowledge and legitimacy. He implies that those with local knowledge presently are not adequately armed and those that are adequately armed are not sufficiently trained, experienced or grounded in local communities and cultures. I oversimplify, but his assertions capture the classic development paradoxes; local vs. international, process vs. outcome, ends vs. means. How best to deliver assistance, alter behavior and secure local ownership of security, without appearing as an occupying force potentially fueling insurgency?

The Constabulary Force

Perito suggests constabulary forces that have post-conflict experience and localized training will operate more effectively in the gray areas between police and military action. As a policy prescription, his proposal makes sense.

Post-conflict settings require security that makes wise use of limited military resources and maximizes long-term, grounded security forces trained to work with (and employ) locals. A constabulary should cost less than the US...

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