Blue Helmet: My Year as a UN Peacekeeper in South Sudan

by Edward H. Carpenter

Blue Helmet: My Year as a UN Peacekeeper in South Sudan tells the story of a country, a conflict, and the institution of peacekeeping through the eyes of a senior American military officer working on the ground in one of the most dangerous countries on the planet. South Sudan is rich in natural resources, and its fertile soil could make it the breadbasket of East Africa. Yet it remains the poorest and most corrupt country in the region, plagued by disease, famine, and ethnic strife. Abductions, sexual violence, death, and displacement affect tens of thousands of people each year.

Edward H. Carpenter pulls the reader into his world, allowing them to experience the powerful, poignant realities of being a peacekeeper in South Sudan. In the process, the author reveals how the United Nations really conducts its missions: what it tolerates and how it often falls short of achieving the aims of its charter--equal rights, justice, and economic advancement for all people, with the use of armed forces limited to serving those common interests by keeping the peace and preventing the scourge of war. It is a story that is eye-opening, unsettling, and always compelling.

Global leaders may fairly claim that they have done everything they can to help South Sudan help itself: they've dispatched thousands of peacekeepers and provided billions of dollars in aid. So why is the UN still struggling to fulfill its mandate to protect civilians and safeguard the delivery of humanitarian assistance? What could be done better? Bringing the reader to the forefront of action, Blue Helmet answers these questions and raises others about how modern peacekeeping missions are organized and overseen, shedding light on some of the contradictions at the heart of peacekeeping.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Africa, History

408 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2025

About the author

Edward H. Carpenter is an award-winning author who spent 29 years as a U.S. Marine, serving in conflict zones worldwide before being seconded to the United Nations as a peacekeeper in South Sudan. His firsthand experiences with the dysfunction of military interventions and international peacekeeping led him to question the very institutions designed to protect civilians.

After retiring, he earned a Creative Writing degree from Harvard and a Philosophy degree from the University of Melbourne, using his literary talents to challenge conventional narratives about war and peace. Now based in Australia, Carpenter is a full-time writer and activist dedicated to building a world without war.

In his non-fiction, including Blue Helmet, he critiques the failures of international diplomacy and military-led peacekeeping while offering tangible solutions for reform. His essays and analysis have appeared in The Washington Post, World Politics Review, and War on the Rocks, while his fiction delves into the human cost of conflict.

When he's not writing, he enjoys SCUBA diving, snowboarding, and developing a sustainable farm in southeastern Australia with his wife.

Reviews

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 2019, facing the end of his military career, Carpenter took the opportunity for a new challenge—a yearlong posting as a peacekeeper in South Sudan. He was optimistic: about what the UN was doing, about what he could do within his role, about the shape of South Sudan and the world more generally when he left again. And then he got there.

It was one of the many quiet, dirty truths of South Sudan, but it wasn't a dirty secret. The UN knew about it, and the U.S. government knew about it too. At least until now, no one had done anything substantive to resolve the matter. But I was new and genuinely believed that this forum could make a difference. (loc. 924*)

It becomes rapidly clear in Blue Helmet—if you don't already have an inkling—that the UN's mission there was not what Carpenter had dreamed about. Officially, the mandate was clear: protect civilians, protect human rights, and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid (loc. 507). And officially, the UN did just that. On paper, the peacekeepers did nothing but send out patrols and facilitate talks and protect lives and deliver supplies. On paper.

We came to these places and asked the local leaders what they needed, but we didn't really listen to what they told us. They asked us to provide security and to protect civilians, but we simply told them "not [to] kill each other." It hadn't exactly been working out very well so far; we were again doing the exact same thing and expecting to achieve different results—insane. (loc. 3065; brackets in book)

Carpenter can write about all of this because he is now retired from the military—no more deeply hierarchical structure to exist in or (as I understand it, not specific to Blue Helmet) retribution to fear from speaking out. And what he describes from his time in South Sudan is effort after effort to speak out, albeit within the confines of his role and that hierarchical structure; report after report, and memo after memo, and conversation after conversation that all fell on plugged ears.

It's a damning indictment—not of the "blue helmet" soldiers, but of the way the UN (and the broader world) treat conflict in countries like South Sudan (read: underdeveloped countries, financially poor countries, countries with nonwhite populations). The overall sense is that the UN would send soldiers in, yes, but the soldiers would have no directive and no permission to do anything that would directly prevent violence. They'd have resources but not be allowed to use them; they'd have intelligence that violence was brewing and then do everything possible to stay away from that violence; they'd let children be slaughtered and then ignore those children in their reports because not all deaths and abductions and injuries counted. Not all children counted.

As a book, I found this fairly slow going. I got about halfway through fairly quickly and then lost momentum, and it took me a while to finish. I think this is partly because it's a very information-heavy book, with lots of reproduced memos and extracts from reports and an alphabet soup of acronyms. There's also very limited character development for other characters—Carpenter is a decent writer, and his points come across crisply, but I could have used some more recurring characters throughout, and more information and scenes. I think this is supposed to be partly made up for by various mini romances throughout the book, but I'd have gotten more out of a couple of well-developed platonic work relationships or friendships rather than semi-oblique references to, e.g., hookups while on trips out of the country.

With that in mind: I was reading this out of general interest in reading about humanitarian work, an equally general curiosity about books that take place in places I've never been, and a love of memoir. I was a bit let down by the memoir side of things, but I'd highly recommend this to those researching peacekeeping operations and (more generally) the effects of humanitarian (and other) interventions.

*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Lt. Col. Carpenter for choosing me (I hope I'm addressing him accurately).

I was captivated from beginning to end with this book. The entire time it felt as if I was sitting across from him having a one-on-one conversation as he shared his experiences with me. His experience wasn't always easy, but I believe he was the right person to walk this journey. He came out of it with so many ideas for reform (ones that I whole-heartedly believe should be implemented). It is inspiring, emotional and definitely changed my perspective. This book is necessary. It not only feels important it IS important and it certainly feels life-changing. It opened my eyes to things I've never spent much time thinking about. I'm certain that I will be looking for more information/books like this. It felt authentic, at times it makes you uncomfortable and that's the point and it leaves the reader with a lot to digest. The short chapters kept me engaged and the writing flowed perfectly. The glossary at the beginning of the book definitely helped with the abbreviations used throughout the book, I would've never been able to keep up otherwise.

I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic. The reader gets not just a front-row seat to the reality of life in South Sudan, but a deeply human account of what it means to try (against impossible odds) to make a difference. I received a copy as an ARC, and I wasn't expecting to be hooked from the first page. But this is definitely not a sanitized, stuffy diplomatic report or academic treatise. The author's voice is compelling and clear, and obviously deeply informed by his lived experience. He doesn't just tell us about UN Peacekeeping, he shows us, through deeply personal stories. It's honest, sometimes uncomfortable, and all the more powerful for it.

[Nick Palczewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to receive a signed copy of this book from the author via a Goodreads giveaway. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the inner workings of a peacekeeping operation, how the UN works, or about the developing world in general.

The author combines first hand knowledge and hard truths with heartfelt and humorous personal stories about working as a UN peacekeeper in a time of war and violence. It is a hard hitting but thrilling read that takes you step by step through the various crises in South Sudan.

One caution I would give is that it can be difficult to keep track of the different abbreviations and agency acronyms, especially for those who are unfamiliar with the terms. Luckily, the author provides a glossary of terms at the front of the book.

It is rather long for a memoir (over 300 pages) but the information you learn from it will be worth it. It will change the way you think about how the world approaches aid to developing countries in need.

[Robbie Agers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other books I’ve read about the UN and peacekeeping have been informative, but can be very dry, academic, and hard to get through. I found Blue Helmet to be much more personal and easier to connect with, as we follow the author through his discoveries of the levels of dysfunction within the system. It was incredibly frustrating and heartbreaking to read about the failures of the peacekeeping system, but also very enlightening. I hope the reforms Edward H. Carpenter recommends can be implemented for the sake of the people of South Sudan and others around the world affected by conflict and violence."

[Simone Kisiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blue Helmet was fascinating. I learned a lot about both South Sudan and UN peacekeeping, topics I knew little about, but the action and short chapters made it digestible and kept it from feeling like a lesson. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for insight on these topics from someone who has been on the ground.

[Johnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

[Linda Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received the book Blue Helmet as a giveaway through Goodreads. I am not generally a great fan of non-fiction books but I learned much about the United Nations peace keeping programs by reading this book. I have often wondered about the apparent lack of success of the peace missions at various locations in the world but never researched why they were not successful. Sadly, I believe that I now know why the peace missions have not been successful and it is astonishing and disappointing to me.

The full title is "Blue Helmet: My Year as a UN Peacekeeper in South Sudan" and the author, Edward H. Carpenter, is a retired lieutenant colonel who served in the U.S. Army and Marines for a total of twenty-nine years, from Afghanistan to Japan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and as his final year before retirement in South Sudan representing the U.S. as part of the UN Peacekeeping Mission. The author is an experienced military veteran, knowledgeable about fighting wars and peacekeeping. His military career spanned three decades, two wars, and five continents. Carpenter arrived in South Sudan in late May 2019. As a senior UN advisor, he was responsible for their quality of life, safety, training, and administrative oversight. As he states, he was not one of the guys but rather at an advisory/oversight level, though not their boss. After his year on the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, he felt a responsibility to say what others could not because, as a retired Marine officer, he could speak more freely than many of his colleagues in the U.N. who continue to serve.

The copyright date for this book is 2025. It is well organized and includes several resources including:
 Contents
 List of Illustrations
 Forward by Major General (Ret.) (Dr.) A. K. Bardalai, a former peacekeeper from the Indian Army
 Preface by the author
 Abbreviations (a resource that I used frequently as I read the book since government entities tend to use abbreviations to reference equipment, countries, military entities, humanitarian entities, UN agencies/departments/officers, actions, etc. (Two illustrations I frequently referred to were: #1 - Map of South Sudan-June 2019-human security situation AND #5 – Map of UNMISS locations and forces in South Sudan–June 2019.)
 Acknowledgements
 Appendix A – Ways to Improve the Protection of Civilians
 Appendix B – Policy recommendations for the United States
 Appendix C – Resources and Recommended Reading
 Notes (While some of these were just reference citations in case the reader wished to access the documents, others were explanatory and worth reading. I read the explanatory notes but did not feel a need to read the documents themselves.)
 Index

The book is divided into four (4) Parts:
 Part 1. The Call to Adventure
 Part 2. Crossing the Threshold
 Part 3. The Ordeal
 Part 4. The Long Road Back
Each chapter starts with a quote or Epigraph and the date of the action described in that chapter, which I found very helpful. The first chapter is dated “10 April 2019” and the final chapter 72 is dated “30 June 2023”. The author, Edward Carpenter, writes well and succinctly, somewhat as I would expect a person with military experience, to write. Most chapters are relatively brief, concise in their description of the author’s actions, observations, and recommendations for improved protection of the South Sudan civilians. Most chapters fall into the timeline when the author was serving on the UNMISS in South Sudan.

A personal touch that impressed me is the message that Edward Carpenter, wrote on the title page of his book. Recognizing that I was receiving a "giveaway book" through Goodreads, he thanked me for being one of his first readers and hoped I would enjoy the book and "the journey on which it take you." That's a first. I have received "giveaways books" before; this was the first author to include a personal message.

Highlights for Me/What I Learned:
1. The common themes of the UN mandate are: protect civilians, promote human rights, and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
2. Peacekeepers came from multiple countries in the world: Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Denmark, India, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Rwanda, United States, etc.
3. An Epigraph that provoked thought: “Peacekeeping is a job not suited to soldiers, but a job only soldiers can do.” – by Dag Hammarskjold
4. In South Sudan (hereon S.S.), to be considered a “refugee” a person would have to cross an international border. The inhabitants of a UN “refugee camps” (a misnomer) were actually “internally displaced persons” or “IDPs”. It is notable that IDPs have fewer protections under international law since it’s assumed that their government would protect them. Unfortunately in South Sudan it was at times the government’s attempt to kill them that had driven the people from their homes and into these camps in the first place.
5. The UN mission in S.S. started as a relatively small operation in 2011, when S.S. had first gained independence. The UN mandate was focused on supporting the new government to develop its capacity for security and justice, to help them prevent conflict, protect civilians, and aid in the economic development needed for long-term peace. Ethnic violence started in the new country in late 2011-early 2012, and eventually turned into civil war by 2013. There were too few “blue helmets” (UN peacekeepers) to protect civilians.
6. The UN mandate changed to a focus on protecting civilians, monitoring human rights, and supporting delivery of humanitarian assistance. Despite the change in mandate and increase in the number of blue helmets in S.S., UN peacekeepers were unsuccessful during the 2nd wave of civil war in 2016, and this continues to the present.
7. A major hindrance was the restriction by the S.S. government of movement of UN personnel, which constrained the UN’s ability to carry out its mandate of human rights monitoring and investigations. UN forces often were unable to go where civilians were being killed, tortured, and raped. This restriction of movement also impacted the humanitarian workers.
8. The author hoped to bring change during his year with the peacekeeping effort in S.S. and believed programs of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (taking former soldier and helping them transition to civilian life) would bring more success, although unfortunately, this was not in a UNMISS mandate.
9. Carpenter tried to deal with the “Circles of Influence” (the things he could actually do something about), rather than the “Circle of Concern” (the things they worried about but which were beyond his area of influence).
10. An Epigraph worth noting: UN Security Council Resolution 2459, March 2019: “The Security Council…decides that the mandate of UNMISS shall be as follows, and authorizes UNMISS to use all necessary means to perform the following tasks…to protect civilians under threat of physical violence, irrespective of the source of such violence...; to implement a mission-wide early warning strategy…; to deter and prevent sexual and gender-based violence…; to ensure the security and freedom of movement of United Nations and associated personnel.” (page 86)
11. Carpenter emphasized the importance of implementing the concept of “early warning system”, whereupon they would collect information about the security situation in the country and use it to prevent future violence. He was unable to implement the early warning system on a consistent basis and peacekeepers were rarely sent where they were most needed to protect civilians and humanitarian workers.
12. Almost 2 decades before 2019, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on woman, peace and security, acknowledging the disproportionate impact that conflict and war had on women and girls, as well as the crucial role that women could and already were playing in peacekeeping efforts. The four pillars of the resolution were aimed at (1) increasing the participation of woman in decision-making at all levels; (2) protecting the rights of women and girls in conflict zones and emergency sites; (3) preventing violence against women; (4) ensuring that relief and recovery efforts both addressed women’s needs and gave them agency in the process.
13. By late summer 2019, Carpenter had observed the failure of UNMISS to intervene to prevent killings, rape and violence which displaced 20,000 people. Carpenter started then to advocate for more forceful action by inserting peacekeepers in “hub and spoke patrols” in areas where they knew violence occurred with regularity.
14. Epigraph: “Humanitarian aid is designed to keep desperate people alive from one day to the next, whereas development assistance is meant to take the country towards a state where people can look after themselves” – by Nicholas Coghlan
15. For perspective: If S.S. were ten people, six of them would be children. Five of those children would live in poverty and three would suffer acute malnutrition. Only two would have access to clean drinking water, and only two would be literate.”
16. Frequently, Carpenter would visit the S.S. people involved in UN training programs where he observed that promised UN money had not been forthcoming and supplies, uniforms, food, housing had not arrived/been provided/built. The reason: apparently the promised money never arrived to purchase the food, medicine, water, etc. Corruption was an issues.
17. November 2019, a report was issued by a panel of 5 experts, assigned by the UN secretary-general to gather, examine and analyze information on illegal arms sales, trafficking in illicit goods, and violations of human rights in S.S. It was not good. It was reported that the UN mission was taking no action to protect at–risk populations. Yet, none of the UN’s oversight bodies made any recommendations to the secretary-general to suggest that it should. No one who presumably read these reports noticed this glaring discrepancy between the UN South Sudan mandate and its actual performance. The sentiment of the S.S. people is reflected in the following comments: “Everyone – the government soldiers and the UN soldiers – have failed to protect us.” AND “They should either protect us or leave our country. We have been killed while they just watch. What are they here to do?”
18. A vicious cycle exists in parts of S.S. and which causes frequent violence and retribution is the fighting between two or more local clans. The fact that illegal gun and ammunition sales occur enlarges the problem. On one occasions, Doctors without Borders reported that as many as 65 civilians had been killed, 2,326 shelters had been burned, and the “UNMISS seems to have been simply missing in action.”
19. Epigraph by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaking about S.S.: “It is clear to me, and I’m sorry to say so, but I’ve never seen a political elite with so little interest in the well-being of its own people.” Leadership under Salva Kiir, President of S.S., was unpredictable.
20. Epigraph by Albert Einstein: “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing”.
21. February 2020: Additional patrols were implemented at Carpenter’s suggestion. S.S. politicians pushed back. Unfortunately, the decision of local S.S. and UN political figures were again allowed to override the UN mandate. Higher-ups agreed to withdraw UN peacekeepers, one of the new bases was shut down and the chance to make a difference for the S.S. people “had been wasted”.
22. Surprisingly the global media did not devote many headlines to human rights violations in S.S., so no one demanded accountability.
23. In late February 2020, David Shearer, the SRSG openly disagreed with Carpenter’s understanding of the UN mandate which was to protect civilians and deter violence, without respect to the source of the threat. Shearer claimed that intercommunal violence (e.g. tribe on tribe) was not the UN’s job to prevent, the mandate did not require the UN Mission to protect civilians from ethnic militias. In effect, this belief would mean that the UN peacekeeping forces would eventually arrive at the site of violence but only after the killing, burning, kidnapping of women and children, and looting had been accomplished and never before.
24. Epigraph to Chapter 55 by Michael Ignatieff: The concept of human rights assumes that all human life is of equal value. Risk-free warfare presumes that our lives matter more than the lives of those we are intervening to save. (The latter is what the UN Mission wanted: risk-free.)
25. By March 2020, Carpenter is fed up and fully dismayed by the actions of his senior leaders during a period of savage warfare between multiple tribes. He states: “We left the refugees of Anyidi exactly as we’d found them…We gave them nothing – no food, no medicine, no transportation, no hope – exactly as we had been doing since they’d arrived twenty-six days earlier” and “Villagers were angry at both their government and at UNMIS for leaving them unprotected.”
26. March 2020 – The COVID pandemic arrives and the internal warring between tribes continues. David Shearer speaking for the SRSG does not plan to review the matter and states instead “we have to help facilitate these people (i.e. the tribes, civilians) in working it out. Which of course they had not in the many horrific years prior.
27. Carpenter now, after approx. 11 months in S.S., has reached the following determination: “The injustice made me ashamed. I clearly saw that by looking below the surface, the UN didn’t truly believe its own declaration that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
28. April 2020: While still in S.S., Carpenter discovered a significant discrepancy between the numbers being reported in the “ children and armed conflict” section of UN reports and those listed in the monitoring and investigating human rights violations” section, and brought it to the attention of the record keepers, believing it was an oversight. The response from the Chief of the mission’s Child Protection Unit clarified that in the reports, there was a difference between the abductions of children as covered by the UN Security Council Resolution 1612 and those related to intercommunal violence. Thus the 219 dead, injured and stolen children essentially disappeared from the records. No mention of them was made in the secretary-general’s report on children and armed conflict for the period. Carpenter brought it to the attention of the senior officers from Canada and Norway, the force’s legal advisers at the time and the SRSG’s military adviser but nothing changed. Perhaps UNMISS would get a pass from the oversight organizations focused on children that might otherwise have required some action? Was this the reason for the omission?
29. May-June 2020 – In Carpenter’s final month at the mission, work continued as before. Permission eventually was granted to leave the mission despite COVID restrictions, and with departure, his retirement from the military. On his final day in S.S., General Tinaikar honored Carpenter with a “heartwarming speech”, observing that “It’s not easy to be a nonconformist in any organization – but especially not the military”. He praised Carpenter for always speaking up and for being “the conscience of the force.”
30. Carpenter described S.S. as a country of crushing human poverty and of great natural wealth, of red dirt, brown rivers, green trees and blue skies, a country of bright dresses and brighter smiles. Carpenter went toe-to-toe with the SRSG on behalf of the S.S. civilians and lost his battle to convince the SRSG to make “robust, proactive, and nimble” something more than empty words in protecting the people from the government forces, from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and from the warring tribes – all three of whom killed and raped civilians and stole their children and cattle. The civilians bear all the calamities and “the UN sacrifices its honor on the altar of political expedience.”
31. Since his retirement from the military following his last year of service spent as an advisor with the UN Mission in South Sudan. Carpenter realized that, now, officially retired and no longer part of the military, he could speak out about the failures of the UN Mission to the S.S. people. And until the most senior levels of UN Mission and Force leadership realize that intercommunal violence is the leading threat to civilians, and thus should be the major focus of their mandated tasks, the world can expect that not much will change.
32. June 2021 – David Shearer stepped down from SRSG in January 2021. This would have been an opportunity to make necessary changes to protect civilians in S.S. Instead reports continued to be whitewashed and the UN peacekeepers continued to be absent during the attacks and deployed only after the damage had been done and human rights abuses committed by community-based militias. Even some UN officials reacted to the UN’s reports stating “It was whitewashed. It was unbelievable…I mean, the UN has a hard time criticizing itself, but…I was shocked when I read that thing, because it was so not true, so fabricated.” If they won’t report/record the problems, they won’t address the need to change. So the changing of guard in the mission headquarters when Shearer left and Nicholas Haysomto hired, was a lost opportunity to make critical improvements in the UNMISSION to improve civilian protection for the S.S. people.

This book, Blue Helmet, helps to put the record straight. The author states: “I set to work with the simple hope that I could make the world take notice of the slow-moving crisis in S.S. before too many more lives were lost.” Will this book help? As one reads this intense book, you should ask yourself:
 Why are repeated attempts at ethnic cleansing on the savannas of eastern S.S. and the other brutalities against civilians not reported by the media and observed by civilians around the world, to the extent that has been done relating to the Ukraine and Palestine?
 Finally, it cannot be ignored that permanent members of the UN Security Council are also top profiteers in the global arms trade, exporting the same weapons and ammunition that are used to kill civilians and peacekeepers in S.S. and elsewhere in the world. (In Oct. 2025, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about U.A.E. sending supplies of weapons to bolster the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group that has been accused of genocide in S.S. and contributing to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. All food for thought and concern.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a sugar coated version of what is truly going on in the United Nation's, you are not going to get it here. Blue Helmet is an honest, gut wrenching look at what really goes on in the life of a UN Peacekeeper in the South Sudan. A refreshingly honest and forthright account. I have to say, this one hit me right in the gut. From the start, it had me pulling up memories long since buried, from my past. Of a very good friend who was a Marine Special Forces operator (though that was not ever spoken about), and it was the late 90's. I learned a lot through him. Many of the dates mentioned in the Blue Helmet hold special significance for me, so that also held my attention.  Most of all, however,  was the recurring theme of those in charge blatantly acknowledging that there was an issue, ignoring it and then misrepresenting it to their superiors and the general public. Not only that, but when someone lower in the food chain balks, and tries to actually FIX the problem, they are the ones that are either ignored or forced out. Over and over, it has been shown that aid gets stockpiled in warehouses,  pockets get lined, and yet, the ones that desperately need it the most rarely get what they need. A must read! A little toast & a shot of 151 to my friend Ry...I should have zagged...

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this a fascinating, if rather an eye-opening and disturbing, account of the author’s experiences as a UN peacekeeper in South Sudan. It is searingly honest in its examination of how bureaucracy, corruption, dishonesty, ignoring advice and intelligence from ‘boots on the ground’, plus a general lack of transparency, all too often combine to detract from peace keeping efforts and, on occasion, even lead to the deaths of many of the people the UN is charged to protect. Mistakes and misjudgements can, and do, occur in any large organisation, but I agree with the author that it is the failure to learn from these mistakes, and even to repeat them, which feels unforgiveable. The author highlighted many problems … failure to protect civilians, unequal treatment of national staff and refugees, failure to account for the true numbers of violations against children victimised during armed conflict … to highlight just a few. However, in his concluding chapter he posits that rather than thinking that the sheer scale of the problems is too overwhelming to tackle, they in fact share common roots and he believes that ‘the path to solving them begins with implementing three simple principles: transparency, accountability and awareness’.
Whilst acknowledging wholescale change is never easy, with focused determination it is possible and, in Appendixes A & B he sets out various recommendations which would bring about effective change. He also makes a plea to readers of his book to encourage their own nation’s leaders to commit adequate resources to peacekeeping, to recognising the dignity and equal rights of all human beings, and to seeking solutions which would promote better standards of life and ensure that all people can live lives of freedom from fear and want. What is clear from his passionate, heartfelt writing, is that this is something he remains committed to continuing to press for and I wish him success in his endeavours. I’d also like to thank him for sharing his experiences and, through doing so, increasing my understanding of the ongoing conflict in South Sudan … as well as the bureaucratic complexities of the UN!

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carpenter is not afraid to speak the truth. In fact, that's the main reason he wrote this book: to reveal both the good and the bad about UN peacekeepers. And to recommend how to make the operations more effective.

He is in a place to know. He spent a year in South Sudan, trying to muster help where it was most needed, during the bloody conflicts there, in 2019 and 2020. He came in as a senior official there, but not the head of the operations. His many years of experience in the military equipped him with the knowledge of how to get things done efficiently and effectively if you are determined.

He concludes that too many of the people in the top layers (not all!) are more committed to their own reputations and wellbeing than to the civilians they are sworn to protect. They outright lie or obfuscate to cover up the true number of deaths and how many could have been prevented if the UN took action.

Carpenter does not find fault in the troops, whether from the US, Britain, Australia, Korea, or other African countries. Many are not given what they need - some troops don't even have tents to sleep in - and yet when directed they do what they can to help civilians. If they are given appropriate direction they get out there and do the job. But the heads worry about their relationships with government officials or even local officials and thus will not press their advantage.

Thus, after watching, moving, reporting, assisting, for his term there (unfortunately, peacekeepers such as Carpenter are rotated out every year, so there is never anyone there who has a full grasp of the situation long-term), Carpenter moved into other areas where he could be of assistance, using his natural compassion as well as leadership skills. In addition to founding the nonprofit World Without War, and writing numerous articles, he wrote this book to reveal the problems which must be faced by UN officials if they are ever going to reduce the violence worldwide. He did much more than "admire the problem" - he wrote extensively on how to fix it.

[John Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book has bright spots of interest and color, and is eye-opening in regards to the actual nature of what the UN does on the ground, it is unfortunately not very good. It drags in its endless repetitions of bureaucratic minutiae, the writing of reports that the author says no one reads, or that are read but not acted upon, together with a dizzying parade of acronyms and names of colleagues who are given essentially no characterization beyond the basic and the banal. Nothing of any real consequence seems to be accomplished by the work of the author in South Sudan, and as a reader I couldn't help feeling that I was spending my time unwisely by persisting in reading this book.

The most interesting parts of the book are also the parts which are most irrelevant: the author's romantic life, about which there is far too much detail, to the point of oversharing. It seems the best way to get laid by "curvaceous" women is to be a UN Peacekeeper. That important tidbit is short enough that it could be communicated in an email, unlike this book.

[Jayde Lovell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blue Helmet is un-put-downable, so be sure to clear your weekend! An eye-opening and deeply immersive memoir, told from someone who has actually been on the front lines of a UN peacekeeping operation. At times it's heart-wrenching, at times it's sexy, at times it will make you angry, but leaves you with a feeling of hope that change is possible.
More than just a memoir, this book raises some critical questions about international intervention and how peacekeeping could be reformed. With more conflict in the world today, it is a a must-read for anyone interested in security, humanitarian efforts, peacekeeping, and the real-world challenges of diplomacy and conflict resolution. Highly recommended for any American who wants to understand the implication of US foreign policy and aid cuts. I also learned a lot about the world's newest country, South Sudan.

[Justin Weber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited about this book but it fell flat. Too many acronyms, not enough about supporting characters. Overall a dry reading. It’s a good look at red tape and government ineptitude if that’s something you are looking for.