This paper will focus on the performance of the Irish Defence Forces in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The current situation in South Lebanon where the Irish contingent has been deployed is relatively calm. However, the authors’ field research in UNIFIL in August 2019 convinced that there is an anti-UNIFIL sentiment among the local people in the Hezbollah-based town where the Irish peacekeepers are patrolling. Meanwhile, the Israelis have been traditionally provocative to UNIFIL. There have been four major military operations between Israel and Lebanon, where the UN troops were totally bypassed. Therefore, one cannot be optimistic of the performance of UNIFIL. Meanwhile, the Irish personnel has been motivated to participate in UNIFIL for various reasons. Most of them are based on the institutional and normative rationales. Furthermore, it is to be noted that the factors of motivation among the Irish largely depend on their age and military rank.
Katsumi Ishizuka (Tue,) studied this question.