The UN, which once fielded more soldiers than the armies of many small countries, now has fewer than one-fifth the number of peacekeepers deployed in its heyday, according to newly released data.
At the end of 1997, 10,672 troops, 1,075 military observers and 3,132 civilian police were taking part in 15 United Nations peacekeeping operations, for a total of 14,879 personnel.
The high point was in July 1993, when 78,744 peacekeepers included 73,267 troops, 1,992 military observers and 3,485 civilian police.
While only 14 missions were then active, they included large-scale operations in the former Yugoslavia and Somalia.
A big drop occurred near the end of 1995–from about 53,000 personnel to 31,000– when the UN Protection Force, or UNPROFOR, ended its mission in Bosnia.
The troop figures were announced Friday by the UN.
In recent years, the Security Council has been more circumspect in approving new peacekeeping missions, mindful of problems that plagued its ambitious operations in Somalia, Bosnia and other trouble spots, and of the costs involved.
The United States, which is assessed nearly 31 percent of peacekeeping expenses, is particularly wary of any new UN missions.
As it is, the United Nations is owed more than $1.5 billion in unpaid peacekeeping assessments, on top of $1.6 billion in regular budget arrears for this and previous years.
