ABSTRACT
U.N. enforcement action against an aggressor is presently the center of world attention. It is often referred to as collective security, an expression not used in the Charter but widely regarded as the principal goal of the United Nations. The United States had favored a much larger force than had the Soviet Union and France. The United States also favored stationing the troops in bases around the world and requiring all states to provide rights of passage. The legal authority to establish peacekeeping operations and the competent organ to do so have been subjects of controversy throughout their history. UN official doctrine has emphasized that peacekeeping as distinct from enforcement is based on consent and cooperation; it is not meant to achieve its aims by the force of arms.
