Hello everyone, for today’s discussion topic, I have chosen to analyze two visuals surrounding U.N. Peacekeeper involvement and the state of U.N. peacekeeping operations.
The first visual below supports U.N. peacekeepers and their involvement in humanitarian crises around the world
This image was taken during a humanitarian intervention and security mission undergone by U.N. Peacekeepers. The purpose of the image is clear: to humanize the U.N. Peacekeepers and make them appear friendly and helpful to the local community they’ve been assigned to support. The image takes on a more serious, but bright and hopeful tone as it seeks to make the peacekeepers look like heroes to a community in need.
This image was found on stimson.org, an international group dedicated to supporting global security efforts. Link to the site here: https://www.stimson.org/2020/conflicting-means-converging-goals-civilian-protection-and-ssr/
The next image is shown in opposition to U.N. Peacekeeper global involvment.
The image is actually an edited picture from a 2007 South African ad campaign. The original sign said “INVOLVED in AFRICA”. The purpose of this image was also very clear: to mock and ridicule the failures of the U.N. to intervene in crises around the world like in Syria, Gaza, and Myanmar. The image takes to tones of mockery, satire, and dark humor to get the author’s point across. The image was taken from boomlive.in, a website that specializes in fact-checking news articles, popular photos, and other influential media sources. Link to the website here: https://www.boomlive.in/world/edited-photo-of-south-african-ad-campaign-viral-with-misleading-claims-13510