Jason Stearns Quotations

The threats haven't worked and the U.N. and the Congolese army have failed to get rid of all these armed groups.

There are many weapons that have been distributed to civilians and there are factions who don't want to lose power and who'd do anything including inciting ethnic violence to stop the electoral process. The only way to ensure stability during the elections is to actually have troops on the ground.

Senior members of the security establishment have not been entirely cooperative - let's put it that way - with the operations and still maintain contacts with FDLR leadership.

As so often happens in politics, what appears to be politically expedient for those in power rarely overlaps with the public interest. The lesser evils of the regime become entrenched, while the greater good is never realized.

The population has grown weary of a transitional government that is more concerned with personal enrichment than lifting them out of misery, and they are counting on the ballot box to improve their lot. If the elections go awry, they will turn once again to violence.

These are high risk operations and unfortunately sometimes people get killed.

There's a need for a neutral force to calm the population. The Congolese army is a nascent, fledgling force. MONUC fulfills the task.