Walter Dorn

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Walter Dorn
Dorn OfficersMessPortrait TC2014-0051-34 531x600 Brighter Compressed Sept2014.jpg
Born (1961-07-11) July 11, 1961 (age 62)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation military historian
Website https://www.walterdorn.net/

Walter Dorn (born July 11, 1961) is a Canadian military historian and defence specialist. Dorn teaches military officers and civilian students at the Canadian Forces College (CFC) in Toronto and also at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in Kingston. He lectures and leads seminars on the ethics of armed force, peace operations, the United Nations, arms control, Canadian and US foreign/defence policy, Canadian government and society, and science/technology applications. He serves as chair of the Department of Security and International Affairs at CFC and previously was chair of the Master of Defence Studies programme at RMC.

Contents

He has served on the Board of Canadian Pugwash since 1995. From 2008 to 2013, he was chair of the group, which is the Canadian branch of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs.

He completed his doctorate in chemistry at the University of Toronto and now applies this scientific background toward the study of peace and conflict issues. He has pursued this work at the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre in Nova Scotia, where he developed and taught courses on technology for peace operations, as well as at Cornell University, where he was a senior research fellow with the Institute for African Development. [1]

Peace Operations

UN Consultation

In 2006, he was commissioned by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) to conduct a study on technologies for peacekeeping especially for monitoring of conflicts, borders, sanctions, civilian protection, staff security, and various Security Council mandates. [2] His report was welcomed by the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping, composed of 124 member states who contribute to peacekeeping. His 2011 book Keeping Watch: Monitoring, Technology and Innovation in UN Peace Operations served as an impetus for the UN's creation of a Panel of Experts on Technology and Innovation in UN Peacekeeping, of which he was a member. [3] DPKO has sought to implement the recommendations in the panel's report titled Performance Peacekeeping. [4]

He also assisted with the negotiation, ratification, and implementation of the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) as the CWC Coordinator for Parliamentarians for Global Action. Since 1983, he has served as the UN Representative of Science for Peace, a Canadian non-governmental organization (NGO). Dorn addressed the United Nations General Assembly in 1988 at the Second UN Special Session on Disarmament.

In 2020 he proposed to the UN a new Occasional Paper series on technology and the first paper in the series was his paper on “Technology Innovation Model for the UN: The “TechNovation Cycle” [5]

Fieldwork

Dorn also has experience in United Nations field missions such as the United Nations Mission in East Timor and the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UNDP projects in Ethiopia, and as a Training Adviser with the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). [6] He has been sent by UN Headquarters to the field missions, including MINUSCA in the Central African Republic, MINUSMA in Mali, and MONUC/MONUSC in the D. R. Congo.

Peacekeeping Simulation Project

Dr. Dorn’s knowledge of peacekeeping and career in officer education is being applied to create a UN Peacekeeping Simulation game to train peacekeepers and educate the general public through experiential means. [7] This project is based on detailed studies of actual peace operations. [8]

These scenarios offer immersive, scenario-based learning that reflects the everyday realities of peacekeepers. They help players prepare for and understand the complex social situations in modern conflict zones, including child soldiers and sexual violence.

Academic career

Walter Dorn has taught since 2000 at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) and at the Canadian Forces College (CFC) in both official languages using his learner-centric teaching philosophy. [9]

Dorn first came to RMC in 2000 to serve as the organizer (Director) of the International Peacekeeping Summer Institute which offered "critical perspectives on global peace operations." [10] At RMC, he taught the War Studies courses on "International Peacekeeping" in several venues/formats: in person at RMC in Kingston and at National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) in Ottawa, and by video-teleconference from the CFC in Toronto to students across the country. The course covered a wide range of topics.

At CFC, Dorn has been engaged from his arrival in 2003 in the development of curriculum. He drafted Learning Outcome Guides (LOGs), including guidance (scope, teaching points and readings) for lectures and seminars, and gave feedback to planners on their drafts. He served as the academic adviser for the colonels and equivalents courses, i.e., National Security Studies Course (NSSC).

Dr. Dorn frequently lectures in the Joint Command and Staff Programme (JCSP) at CFC on subjects such as "Just War Tradition and the Ethics of War," "Social Fabric of Canada," "United Nations," and "Peace Support Operations." [11] He has also taught in JCSP seminars:

World Federalist Movement - Canada

Dr. Walter Dorn joined the World Federalist Movement in the mid-1980s and has been President of the World Federalist Movement of Canada since 2016. [12] During his time at the organization, he spearheaded projects and events related to global peace and security with an emphasis on UN peacekeeping. He is responsible for chairing the WFM-Canada’s annual meetings and introduced a new code of conduct. He also participates regularly in WFM-Canada’s cosponsored meetings on Canadian peacekeeping.

Selected publications

Books and book chapters

Reports and articles

For a more complete set of references see the publications page on Dorn's website.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peacekeeping</span> Activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace

Peacekeeping comprises activities, especially military ones, intended to create conditions that favor lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of United Nations peacekeeping missions</span>

The United Nations has authorized 71 peacekeeping operations as of April 2018. These do not include interventions authorized by the UN like the Korean War and the Gulf War. The 1990s saw the most UN peacekeeping operations to date. Peacekeeping operations are overseen by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and share some common characteristics, namely the inclusion of a military or police component, often with an authorization for use of force under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. Peacekeeping operations are distinct from special political missions (SPMs), which are overseen by the Department of Political Affairs (DPA). SPMs are not included in the table below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada in the Cold War</span>

Canada in the Cold War was one of the western powers playing a central role in the major alliances. It was an ally of the United States, but there were several foreign policy differences between the two countries over the course of the Cold War. Canada's peacekeeping role during the Cold War has played a major role in its positive global image. The country served in every UN peacekeeping effort from its inception in 1948 until 1989. This resulted in Canada provided the greatest amount of UN peacekeepers during the Cold War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MONUSCO</span> UN peacekeeping force in Democratic Republic of the Congo

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or MONUSCO, an acronym based on its French name Mission de l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en République démocratique du Congo, is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which was established by the United Nations Security Council in resolutions 1279 (1999) and 1291 (2000) to monitor the peace process of the Second Congo War, though much of its focus subsequently turned to the Ituri conflict, the Kivu conflict and the Dongo conflict. The mission was known as the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo or MONUC, an acronym of its French name Mission de l'Organisation des Nations Unies en République démocratique du Congo, until 2010.

Canada was a founding member of the United Nations, and was an original signatory of the Declaration by United Nations. At the signing of the Declaration by United Nations, Canada was one of four Dominions of the British Empire present, alongside Australia, New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa. In 1945, Canada was present at the United Nations Conference on International Organization and signed the Charter of the United Nations. McGill University professor John Peters Humphrey was the principal author of the first draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Operation in the Congo</span> 1960s United Nations military operation

The United Nations Operation in the Congo was a United Nations peacekeeping force which was deployed in the Republic of the Congo in 1960 in response to the Congo Crisis. The ONUC was the UN's first peacekeeping mission with significant military capability, and remains one of the largest UN operations in size and scope.

The Iceland Crisis Response Unit is an Icelandic para-military unit with a capacity roster of up to 200 people, of whom about 30 are active at any given time. It is operated by the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is primarily designated for peacekeeping operations and was established in the 1990s to participate in operations and peacekeeping projects, including in support of NATO peacekeeping operations. That role later evolved into providing an appropriate forum for deploying personnel within other organizations such as with OSCE field missions as well as with UN DPKO, and organizations such as UNIFEM, UNRWA and UNICEF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Department of Peace Operations</span> Department of the United Nations

The Department of Peace Operations (DPO) is a department of the United Nations charged with the planning, preparation, management and direction of UN peacekeeping operations. Previously known as the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), it was created in March 1992, as part of a restructuring of the UN's peace and security apparatus. The DPO retains the core functions and responsibilities of its predecessor, with a greater emphasis on cohesion, integrating different resources and knowledge, and promoting human rights.

Australia was one of the founding members of the United Nations (UN) in 1945 and has been actively engaged in the organisation since its formation. The UN is seen by the Australian Government as a means to influence events which directly affect Australia's interests but over which they have little unilateral control.

The United Nations Peacekeeping efforts began in 1948. Its first activity was in the Middle East to observe and maintain the ceasefire during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Since then, United Nations peacekeepers have taken part in a total of 72 missions around the globe, 12 of which continue today. The peacekeeping force as a whole received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations–African Union Mission in Darfur</span> Peacekeeping mission in Darfur

The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur was a joint African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission formally approved by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1769 on 31 July 2007, to bring stability to the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan while peace talks on a final settlement continue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Harston</span> Diplomat, peacekeeper, lecturer, mentor

Julian Harston, son of Colonel Clive Harston, King's African Rifles, is an independent consultant on International Peace and Security matters. He retired as an Assistant Secretary-General in the United Nations. His last post was as the Representative of the Secretary-General in Belgrade, Serbia. Prior to this until March 2009 he was the Special Representative of the Secretary-General heading MINURSO Western Sahara.

Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role of the UN's Department of Peace Operations as an "instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace". It is distinguished from peacebuilding, peacemaking, and peace enforcement although the United Nations does acknowledge that all activities are "mutually reinforcing" and that overlap between them is frequent in practice.

The Dag Hammarskjöld Medal is a posthumous award given by the United Nations (UN) to military personnel, police, or civilians who lose their lives while serving in a United Nations peacekeeping operation. The medal is named after Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, who died in a plane crash in what is now Zambia in September 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali</span> Peacekeeping force in Mali after the Tuareg rebellion of 2012

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali was a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali. MINUSMA was established on 25 April 2013 by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2100 to stabilise the country after the Tuareg rebellion of 2012, and was terminated over a decade later on 30 June 2023. Officially deployed on 1 July 2013, MINUSMA was the UN's deadliest peacekeeping mission. While UNIFIL, the mission in Lebanon, has lost more peacekeepers overall, by incident type the majority of those deaths at 135 are officially listed as "accidents." At 175 deaths by "malicious act," MINUSMA was officially the deadliest Peacekeeping mission of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearson Centre</span>

Established in 1994 by the Government of Canada as the Lester B. Pearson Canadian International Peacekeeping Training Centre was an independent, not-for-profit organization with its office based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its mandate was to support Canada's contribution to international peace and security. Operations ceased and the Centre closed around 2011. The property was sold by the government of Canada to a private individual in November 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Force Intervention Brigade</span> Military unit

The United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) is a military formation which constitutes part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). It was authorized by the United Nations Security Council on 28 March 2013 through Resolution 2098. Although it is not the first instance in which the use of force was authorized by the UN, the Force Intervention Brigade is the first UN peacekeeping operation specifically tasked to carry out targeted offensive operations to "neutralize and disarm" groups considered a threat to state authority and civilian security. In this case, the main target was the M23 militia group, as well as other Congolese and foreign rebel groups. While such operations do not require the support of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), the Force Intervention Brigade often acts in unison with the FARDC to disarm rebel groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian peacekeeping</span>

Canada has served in over 50 peacekeeping missions, including every United Nations (UN) peacekeeping effort from its inception until 1989. More than 125,000 Canadians have served in international peacekeeping operations, with approximately 130 Canadians having died during these operations. Canada's strong support for multilateralism and internationalism has been closely related to its peacekeeping efforts.

The Joint Mission Analysis Centre (JMAC) is a United Nations multidisciplinary structure created in 2005, whose mandate is to provide integrated analyses for the senior management of peacekeeping missions, or in other words provide the UN with an intelligence-collection capability at strategic or operational levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic</span>

The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic, more commonly known as MINURCA was a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic. The 1350-troop mission was established by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1159 in March 1998. It was replaced in 2000 after the Central African Republic conducted two peaceful elections, with the entirely civilian composed UN Peace-Building Support Office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA).

References

  1. ↑ Dorn, A. Walter; Pauk, Robert; Burton, Emily Cope (2013-09-01). "True or False Warning? The United Nations and Threats to Namibia's Independence, 1989". International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence. 26 (3): 507–529. doi:10.1080/08850607.2013.780555. ISSN   0885-0607. S2CID   153439487.
  2. ↑ Conrad-Avarmaa, Brigitte (2015-03-23). "Walter Dorn". www.rmc-cmr.ca. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  3. ↑ Dorn, A. Walter (2011). Keeping watch : monitoring, technology and innovation in UN peace operations. ISBN   978-92-1-056339-0.
  4. ↑ "Expert Panel on Technology and Innovation in UN Peacekeeping". walterdorn.net. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  5. ↑ "Tech Innovation Model for UN". www.walterdorn.net. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  6. ↑ Department of National Defence, Chief of Military Personnel (2005-12-13). "Dr Walter Dorn". www.cfc.forces.gc.ca. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  7. ↑ "Home, Peacekeeping Simulations". Peacekeeping Simulations. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  8. ↑ "About, Peacekeeping Simulations". Peacekeeping Simulations. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  9. ↑ "Teaching Philosophy". www.walterdorn.net. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  10. ↑ Conrad-Avarmaa, Brigitte (2015-03-23). "Walter Dorn". www.rmc-cmr.ca. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  11. ↑ "Teaching". walterdorn.net. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  12. ↑ "Board of Directors | Building a world community" . Retrieved 2021-12-28.
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