Sharpening the Weapons of Peace

Colonel Wilkinson spent 31 years in the British Army with the Royal Artillery, commando and parachute brigades and special forces. In his last job in the army, he was the principal author of the first British Joint Warfare Publication (JWP 3-50 Peace Support Operations). During his military service he gradually came to the understanding that the achievement of peace required a comprehensive approach that addressed the causes and consequences of conflict and not just the symptoms. These thoughts were crystallised during his four years as a senior research fellow at the Centre for Defence Studies at King's College, London. After King's College, he was deployed as the international advisor to President Kagame in Rwanda for one year and President Karzai in Afghanistan for two years before supporting the National Security Advisor in Baghdad for three years. More recently, he spent fifteen months in the occupied Palestinian territories before deploying to Somalia for three years to support the President and Minister of Internal Security. These positions have given Colonel Wilkinson a unique perspective of international intervention operations. Many others have written of their observations from the outside looking in, Colonel Wilkinson has had the privilege of being part of the host government looking out. Many may find his observations unsettling!