Blue Helmut - A UN Peacekeeper in South Sudan

Edward H. Carpenter is a retired lieutenant colonel who served with the US Marines in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Japan.He deployed with the UN in South Sudan as Chief of Policy and Plans for the mission’s 14,000 peacekeepers.

With firsthand experience of the futility of war and the importance of effective peacebuilding, he has authored numerous articles on the topic, and his latest book  Blue Helmet: My Year as a UN Peacekeeper in South Sudan documents how well-intentioned peacekeeping still fails to protect the most vulnerable.

Edward holds advanced degrees from Harvard University, the University of Melbourne, and the Naval Postgraduate School, and previously served as a military professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. Since retiring from military service, he has continued his work advancing the cause of peace as founding director of the nonprofit organization World Without War, (https://worldwithout.org/) which is focused on ending humanity’s most destructive institution.