Who wants a mission? Canadian forces’ resistance to a role in the UN transition assistance group for Namibia, 1978

In order to develop a more balanced understanding of Canadian peacekeeping, this article explores questions about resistance to the Namibia mission in 1978. It argues that the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces resisted a role in order to protect institutional interests. They wanted influence over government decision-making on commitments, to avoid costs and to protect their personnel from extreme risk. Woven throughout was the subtext that the UN was asking, and receiving, too much. The Canadian defence community resisted participation as much as a department and military subordinate to civilian political control possibly could.