Year 2 Introduction
Hi everyone,
As requested by David Betz in his recent e mail, here is a quick introduction in preparation for the commencement of our Year 2 studies in a few weeks time.
Those of you in Tutorial Group 1 last year will already “know” me, although I have yet to actually meet anyone from the course. I do not, however, consider this to be a problem – and that’s not because I am anti-social or think that you all may not be worth meeting! In fact, far from it but I've been living in West Africa and not many people seemed to have passed through!
I am 46 years old and “retired” from the British Army last year, having spent over 26 years serving “Queen and Country”. My wife, Laura, who is Finnish, is a career UN officer working in “Peacekeeping” and I now find myself happily following her around the world. Last year we were in Sierra Leone (indeed we were there for nearly 2.5 years and this was where my last job in the British Army was) but we have just re-located to New York, where we will probably be for the next year or so. Between us we have worked and/or lived in most parts of the world – me normally making trouble in the way that only the military can and Laura spending her life picking up pieces!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed our studies last year and look forward to the coming term. I do consider myself to be an “active” blogger, although you wouldn’t think so from the paucity of my posts. I do, however, regularly check the blogs of my fellow students and normally take the opportunity to comment on the posts therein. I shall miss Nick Diamond (he was in Tutorial Group 1 last year but has now jumped to Year 3) as he was always posting in his blog, which then generated some great debates, all be they often "off-syllabus" but still on “war” related issues. I have resolved to utilize my own blog more this year and I intend to produce a quick summary of all those modules we cover - after we have covered them! There – I have said it and so now I must do it – we’ll see!
I look forward to “meeting” you all over the “airwaves” in the coming months but if any of you are ever heading New York way then our second bedroom (my study) has a great view of the Empire State building! You would be most welcome.
Regards,
Pip
As requested by David Betz in his recent e mail, here is a quick introduction in preparation for the commencement of our Year 2 studies in a few weeks time.
Those of you in Tutorial Group 1 last year will already “know” me, although I have yet to actually meet anyone from the course. I do not, however, consider this to be a problem – and that’s not because I am anti-social or think that you all may not be worth meeting! In fact, far from it but I've been living in West Africa and not many people seemed to have passed through!
I am 46 years old and “retired” from the British Army last year, having spent over 26 years serving “Queen and Country”. My wife, Laura, who is Finnish, is a career UN officer working in “Peacekeeping” and I now find myself happily following her around the world. Last year we were in Sierra Leone (indeed we were there for nearly 2.5 years and this was where my last job in the British Army was) but we have just re-located to New York, where we will probably be for the next year or so. Between us we have worked and/or lived in most parts of the world – me normally making trouble in the way that only the military can and Laura spending her life picking up pieces!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed our studies last year and look forward to the coming term. I do consider myself to be an “active” blogger, although you wouldn’t think so from the paucity of my posts. I do, however, regularly check the blogs of my fellow students and normally take the opportunity to comment on the posts therein. I shall miss Nick Diamond (he was in Tutorial Group 1 last year but has now jumped to Year 3) as he was always posting in his blog, which then generated some great debates, all be they often "off-syllabus" but still on “war” related issues. I have resolved to utilize my own blog more this year and I intend to produce a quick summary of all those modules we cover - after we have covered them! There – I have said it and so now I must do it – we’ll see!
I look forward to “meeting” you all over the “airwaves” in the coming months but if any of you are ever heading New York way then our second bedroom (my study) has a great view of the Empire State building! You would be most welcome.
Regards,
Pip
posted by Pip Leighton | 12:50 PM
5 Comments:
Hi Pip,
Good to see that you're back on and I hope that New York is treating you well.
I am looking forward to this upcoming term as well, even if it's sans Nick. I'll be checking his blog regularly as I suspect it will continue to be as enlightening and entertaining as it was last year.
If you don't mind my asking what kind of work does Laura do for the UN. I am very interested in the practical side of peacekeeping work, particularly by the UN.
Best,
Sean
Hi Pip, Sean:
It's good to see you both. Thanks for getting us started with introductions--but then again, I know the two of you!
It sounds like a good partnership between you and your wife. Over the weekend I attended the annual conference of the International Institute for Strategic Studies which was held in Geneva. The keynote speech was delivered by Sir Michael Howard. It was quite rermarkable, I shall see if we can obtain an audio copy of it. Here's a quote:
'They [armed forces] can no longer declare their mission accomplished and return home to ticker-tape victory processions, leaving "peace-keeping" to the United Nations or compliant allies. In today's confrontations war-fighting and peace-keeping melt into one another, and the conduct of each determines the success of the other.'
Yes, wifey is now earning the beans whilst I study, enjoy NY and do some "part time" writing. She is currently responsible for planning the Human Resources aspects of the upgraded UN mission in East Timor but is moving across to run logistics for world-wide peacekeeping operations but with specific and obvious interest in planning for Lebanon, Darfur (which surely must come) and East Timor.
What Michael Howard said reminds me of something Kissinger said years ago when he related to the fact that whilst "every war is fought in the name of peace there is a tendency to define peace as the absence of war and to confuse it with military victory". With so many "wars" now being fought about intra-state issues rather than between states it is natural and logical to expect that the issues which caused the conflict in the first place to remain after the "military victory" and therfore requiring considerable peace keeping efforts beyond. Having already "dipped" into Ian Clarke's "The Post Cold War Order", he talks about peace making being the "resolution of the problems that gave rise to the war in the first place" and I agree with him. What the UN blue helmets can do is often remove the U.S. (or the UK for that matter) from direct involvement. Let those with the military might win the military battles and then let those with the peacekeeping (and peace-building to use UN parleance) experience gradually take over the reins. Hence, perahaps Michael Howard's comments. A seemless transition between the two is clearly a huge challenge.
Enough as term hasn't even started..!
For Sean - have a look at Paul Kennedy's "The Parliament of Man", which is a very balanced view of the UN. In it he concludes, as Eisenhower had in 1961, that "with all its defects, with all the failures that we can check up gainst it, the UN (and remember that the UN is a member organization) still represents man's best-organized hope to substitute the conference table for the battlefield". Let's hope, however, that the conference table lead to action in palces like Darfur before we have another Rwandan, East Tinor or Sebrenica type genocide to be sorry for. But that's a whole new subject...
Hi Pip,
Hope you are liking New York City, it's very pretty especially in the fall, about mid October when the leaves really start to change. If you like an occasional libation, I would recommend Vaugn on Bleaker Street (if it's still open...been a while since I've been in the City) and there's a funky little place on Broadway...I think it was called "Scruffy's". It's the one next to the Hell's Angel's Bar. Good food there too, but you've got to be a fan of the Yankee's to eat there *l* Hope all is well and if you are ever up by Boston give me a shout!
Hi Pip,
Glad to see you are well. However, having read your blog, you seem to be a little mistaken. You were, in fact, married for 20 odd years pre-Laura, to a good family friend, Sue. As far as I was aware, it was Sue who followed you round the world while you were in the Army - not the current wife, who (and correct me if I'm wrong) you only met in Sierra Leone, while Sue was renovating your house. I'm not actually sure Sue was too keen to overhaul the house by herself - with no help from any nearby family - but that is by the by. Just like to add that Sue is looking gorgeous, well and happy, but I expect you know this. However, having left her with ample funds to support herself, it was a shame she had to sell the house and give away the dogs! Anyway, won't go on, but a big hello to Laura. I hear that UN girls are very friendly. Oh, and Sue was looking for two champagne glasses that went missing in the move. She needs to celebrate a recent success. I don't suppose you and Laura have seen them?
Must dash, Philippa Hawkins
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