Cultural Awareness among Malaysian Peacekeepers Based on the Perspective of Civil-Military Interaction Theory

Abstract

Culture awareness plays an important role in complex peacekeeping operations. Wide knowledge and information regarding to local culture help peacekeepers to avoid conflicts and misunderstandings which can lead to negative impact towards the mission’s effectiveness. This article focused on the significance of local culture awareness among Malaysian Peacekeepers which led to their successful missions’ accomplishment in the time given. This study has been conducted by using a semi-structured interview among 20 officers and personnel of Malaysian Armed Forces (maf) that have been deployed previously in several peacekeeping operations. Five cultural dimensions highlighted under the Civil-Military Interaction (cmi) theory were used and the findings shows that Malaysian peacekeepers had a high local cultural understanding that positively contributed to their success.