Poverty, Peace, and China: PKSOI and World Bank Perspectives Issue 1 | Page 6

Poverty , Peace , and China : PKSOI and World Bank Perspectives
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Poverty , Peace , and China : PKSOI and World Bank Perspectives

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We believe combined civilian-military collaboration is vital to effective peace keeping and stability operations . In particular , we have observed that growing prosperity can help lift FCACs out of conflict by giving people a greater stake in productive , cooperative enterprises rather than the destructive “ zero-sum ” games that define many internal ethnic , religious , and political-economic conflicts . We constantly monitor the global peacekeeping community to ensure U . S . civilian-military cooperation is adapting to and adopting the most relevant , best-fit approaches to transform conflict situations . We are also sifting through lessons learned in peacekeeping and stability operations to formulate more effective analyses , options , and plans to address emerging conflict situations .
Among its key outreach initiatives , PKSOI liases with foreign military partners including China to advance peace and stability cooperation . We believe China ’ s growing role in global poverty reduction , international investment , and peacekeeping has been constructive and deserves greater study . In recognition of these trends , PKSOI in concert with our parent organization , the Army War College , is offering an elective to Army War College students on China beginning this year . We also hope to host China at the U . S . Army War College in the coming year when peacekeeping experts from both countries plan to share lessons learned and look to the future .
China , amassing $ 3.3 trillion in foreign exchange reserves , has emerged as a main source of development aid . In 2010 , China lent more to developing countries than the World Bank -- $ 110 billion compared to the Bank ’ s $ 100 billion . 24 China ’ s money went abroad with few strings such as environmental safeguards and reform conditionality . Unlike its economic assistance , however , China ’ s peacekeeping operations do not directly protect or expand its economic interests . With the exception of Sudan , China ’ s peacekeeping deployments have been in countries with little substantial trade although trade and investment can follow troop deployment . United Nations regulations prevent international peacekeepers from independently pursuing national interests .
To address the needs of FCACs , PKSOI is focused on facilitating the creation of more agile civilian-military operations that respond to high risk environments ; building a stronger community of practice around FCAC issues across regions to foster “ best fit ” solutions ; and identifying the peace- and state-building goals of FCACs that go hand in hand with development needs . In support of these requirements , PKSOI offers U . S ., foreign , and international military and civilian agencies , private companies , and nongovernmental organizations a website that compiles lessons learned through stability operations and a way to collaborate within a growing community of interest on the understanding of lessons learned . This website is dedicated to sifting and resifting through conflict lessons to derive the most cogent analysis and plans as we go forward . PKSOI ’ s Stability Operations Lessons Learned and Information Management System ( SOLLIMS ) website is at : https :// www . pksoi . org /.
China Helps Keep the Peace
With nearly 1,900 troops deployed worldwide in late 2012 , China ’ s peacekeeping troop contribution is relatively small compared with those of Pakistan , Bangladesh and India . However , it remains to date the largest troop contributor of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council . 25
China ’ s peacekeeping engagement increased gradually over the last three decades of the twentieth century but surged in the twenty-first century . From 2000 to 2008 , the number of Chinese personnel deployed worldwide to U . N . peacekeeping operations rose from 52 to 2,146 . As of July 2013 , China was ranked eighteenth among top troop-contributing countries . This amounts to 1,773 troops , policemen , and military observers deployed across nine peacekeeping operations in North and sub-Saharan Africa , the Middle East and Cyprus . 26

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