--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Peacekeeping is a soldier-intensive…" description: "\"“Peacekeeping is a soldier-intensive business in which the quality of troops matters as much as the quantity. It is not just soldiering under a differe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/larry-wentz-140268_bosnian-war_peacekeeping-is-a-soldier-intensive-busi_2043144.jpg" --- # Peacekeeping is a soldier-intensive business in which the… ![“Peacekeeping is a soldier-intensive business in which the quality of troops matters as much as the quantity. It is not just soldiering under a different color helmet; it differs in kind from anything else soldiers do. The are medals and rewards (mainly, the satisfaction of saving lives), but there…” quote by Larry Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/larry-wentz-140268_bosnian-war_peacekeeping-is-a-soldier-intensive-busi_2043144.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/larry-wentz-140268_bosnian-war_peacekeeping-is-a-soldier-intensive-busi_2043144.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/larry-wentz-140268_bosnian-war_peacekeeping-is-a-soldier-intensive-busi_2043144.jpg) > ““Peacekeeping is a soldier-intensive business in which the quality of troops matters as much as the quantity. It is not just soldiering under a different color helmet; it differs in kind from anything else soldiers do. The are medals and rewards (mainly, the satisfaction of saving lives), but there are also casualties. And no victories. It is not a risk -free enterprise. In Bosnia, mines, snipers, mountainous terrain, extreme weather conditions, and possible civil disturbances were major threats that had to be dealt with from the outset of the operation. Dag Hammarskjold once remarked, "Peacekeeping is a job not suited to soldiers, but a job only soldiers can do." Humanitarianism conflicts with peacekeeping and still more with peace enforcement. The threat of force, if it is to be effective, will sooner or later involve the use of force. For example, the same UN soldiers in Bosnia under a different command and mandate essentially turned belligerence into compliance over night, demonstrating that a credible threat of force can yield results. Unlike, UNPROFOR, the NATO-led Implementation Force was a military success and helped bring stability to the region and to provide an "environment of hope" in which a nation can be reborn. It is now up to a complex array of international civil agencies to assist in putting in place lasting structures for democratic government and the will of the international community to ensure a lasting peace.”” [Larry Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wentz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes the complexity, risks, and moral challenges of peacekeeping missions. **In simple terms:** Peacekeeping is hard, risky, and vital. Key Takeaway Balance humanitarian goals with realistic security plans. Themes peacekeeping military humanitarianism risk conflict resolution Mood serious reflective Type analysis policy When to use this quote - UN deployment - NGO coordination - post‑conflict reconstruction Key Concepts international law civil‑military relations mission planning Questions to Reflect On - How can soldiers stay ethical under pressure? - What support do they need? A Different Perspective Peacekeeping can blur lines between peace and war. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bosnian-war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bosnian-war/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Conflicts Peacekeeping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflicts-peacekeeping-3813573/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dag-hammarskjold-227082/) [Defense-policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defense-policy/) [Extreme weather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extreme-weather/) [Free enterprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-enterprise/) [Peacekeeping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peacekeeping/) [Peacekeeping Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peacekeeping-job-3813570/) [Peacekeeping Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peacekeeping-peace-3813572/) [Peacekeeping Soldier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peacekeeping-soldier-3813571/) [Saving Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving-lives/) [Sooner or later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sooner-or-later/) [Use of force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-of-force/) ## Related quotes > [Peacekeeping is not a job for soldiers, but only soldiers can do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/peacekeeping-is-not-a-job-for-soldiers-but-only-soldiers-can-do-it/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [So I've gone in and out of the U.N., working on counter-terrorism, on U.N. reform, on peacekeeping, peace and security issues, many things through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luck/so-i-ve-gone-in-and-out-of-the-u-n-working-on-counter-terrorism-on-u/) [Edward Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luck/) > [“For all that has been: Thanks! For all that shall be: Yes! —DAG HAMMARSKJÖLD, Markings”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-richo/for-all-that-has-been-thanks-for-all-that-shall-be-yes-dag-hammarskj/) [David Richo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-richo/) > [“I don’t know Who—or what—put the question, I don’t know when it was put. I don’t even remember answering. But at some moment I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-don-t-know-who-or-what-put-the-question-i-don-t-know-when-it-was-2/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [So let us here resolve that Dag Hammarskjold did not live, or die, in vain. Let us call a truce to terror. Let us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/so-let-us-here-resolve-that-dag-hammarskjold-did-not-live-or-die-in/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [To engage human energy, human skill, and human talent in the service of peace, for the alternative is unthinkable - war, destruction, and desolation;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-lutuli/to-engage-human-energy-human-skill-and-human-talent-in-the-service-of/) [Albert Lutuli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-lutuli/) > [“PRAY that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for." Dag Hammarskjold Swedish diplomat (1905 - 1961)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/pray-that-your-loneliness-may-spur-you-into-finding-something-to-live/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [“During the Bosnian war in the late 1990s, I spent several days traveling around the country with Susan Sontag and her son, my dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/during-the-bosnian-war-in-the-late-1990s-i-spent-several-days/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“All the characters in my book are fictional, but every single one of them was inspired by someone I knew and loved who didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanela-ramic-jurich/all-the-characters-in-my-book-are-fictional-but-every-single-one-of/) [Sanela Ramic Jurich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanela-ramic-jurich/) > [“I realize that what happened in Bosnia could happen anywhere in the world, particularly in places that are diverse and have a history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savo-heleta/i-realize-that-what-happened-in-bosnia-could-happen-anywhere-in-the/) [Savo Heleta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/savo-heleta/) > [“The neo-cons, or some of them, decided that they would back Clinton when he belatedly decided for Bosnia and Kosovo against Milosevic, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-neo-cons-or-some-of-them-decided-that-they-would-back-clinton/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Ne, nisu jučer ubili majku, srušili kuću. Ubili su, babo, moje djetinjstvo, mladost, snove, sav moj život.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nura-bazdulj-hubijar/ne-nisu-ju-er-ubili-majku-sru-ili-ku-u-ubili-su-babo-moje-djetinjstvo/) [Nura Bazdulj-Hubijar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nura-bazdulj-hubijar/) > [“I am a lawyer, and for me it is very sad to say that there is now law here. There are weapons rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maass/i-am-a-lawyer-and-for-me-it-is-very-sad-to-say-that-there-is-now-law/) [Peter Maass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maass/) > [“My quarrel with Chomsky goes back to the Balkan wars of the 1990s, where he more or less openly represented the "Serbian Socialist Party"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/my-quarrel-with-chomsky-goes-back-to-the-balkan-wars-of-the-1990s/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Bosnia's war had its visual hallmarks. Parks that were turned into cemeteries, refugee families piled onto horse-drawn carts, stop-or-die checkpoints with mines across the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maass/bosnia-s-war-had-its-visual-hallmarks-parks-that-were-turned-into/) [Peter Maass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maass/) ## More Bosnian-war quotes > [“Bosnia's war had its visual hallmarks. 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Ubili su, babo, moje djetinjstvo, mladost, snove, sav moj život.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nura-bazdulj-hubijar/ne-nisu-ju-er-ubili-majku-sru-ili-ku-u-ubili-su-babo-moje-djetinjstvo/) [Nura Bazdulj-Hubijar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nura-bazdulj-hubijar/) > [“The neo-cons, or some of them, decided that they would back Clinton when he belatedly decided for Bosnia and Kosovo against Milosevic, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-neo-cons-or-some-of-them-decided-that-they-would-back-clinton/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“I realize that what happened in Bosnia could happen anywhere in the world, particularly in places that are diverse and have a history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savo-heleta/i-realize-that-what-happened-in-bosnia-could-happen-anywhere-in-the/) [Savo Heleta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/savo-heleta/) > [“All the characters in my book are fictional, but every single one of them was inspired by someone I knew and loved who didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanela-ramic-jurich/all-the-characters-in-my-book-are-fictional-but-every-single-one-of/) [Sanela Ramic Jurich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanela-ramic-jurich/) > [“During the Bosnian war in the late 1990s, I spent several days traveling around the country with Susan Sontag and her son, my dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/during-the-bosnian-war-in-the-late-1990s-i-spent-several-days/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“In Sarajevo in 1992, while being shown around the starved, bombarded city by the incomparable John Burns, I experienced four near misses in all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-sarajevo-in-1992-while-being-shown-around-the-starved-bombarded/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“…in Bosnia, mass rape was a policy of the war, systematically carried out, implicating neighbors, paramilitaries, soldiers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ausma-zehanat-khan/in-bosnia-mass-rape-was-a-policy-of-the-war-systematically-carried/) [Ausma Zehanat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ausma-zehanat-khan/) > [“Hitherto, the Palestinians had been relatively immune to this Allahu Akhbar style. I thought this was a hugely retrograde development. I said as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/hitherto-the-palestinians-had-been-relatively-immune-to-this-allahu/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ “That war \[Bosnian war\] in the early 1990s changed a lot for me. I never thought I would see, in Europe, a full-dress reprise… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/that-war-bosnian-war-in-the-early-1990s-changed-a-lot-for-me-i-never/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Browse all 13 Bosnian-war quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bosnian-war/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Peacekeeping is a soldier-intensive business in which the quality of troops matters as much as the quantity. 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