Surviving The United Nations

By way of introduction, here is Robert Bruce Adolph’s bio:

Robert Bruce Adolph is a retired UN Chief Security Advisor & US Army Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel.

He holds master’s degrees in both International Affairs (Middle East Studies) from American University’s School of International Service and National Security Studies and Strategy from the US Army’s Command and General Staff College.

Adolph served nearly 26-years in multiple Special Forces, Counterterrorism, Psychological Operations, Civil Affairs, Foreign Area Officer, and Military Intelligence command and staff assignments in the US and overseas. He also volunteered to serve on UN peacekeeping missions in Egypt, Israel, Cambodia, Iraq and Kuwait.

After he retired from active military service in 1997, he began a second career as a senior UN Security Advisor. Among his positions he served as the Chief of the Middle East and North Africa in the UN Department of Safety and Security.

Website: https://robertbruceadolph.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-bruce-adolph-904597a/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.adolph

Hello, Robert , welcome to Angel Kiss Publications. Thank you for agreeing to do this interview.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.

When did the writing bug ensnare you

When serving as a young captain of military intelligence in the US Army.

Is writing your full-time profession?

It is now, following being twice retired from the US Army Special Forces and service as a UN Chief Security Advisor.

How long have you been writing?

Over four decades now – more than 300 articles, commentaries, and book reviews.

How many published books have you written?

One with a second edition. I am now working on another.

Which genres do you write?

Non-fiction up til now. I may attempt a novel next.

What do you find most challenging writing for these genres?

Making myself sit down at the keyboard.

What are you working on now?

A book for fledgling writers.

What is a favorite quote from one of your own books?

People believe what they want to believe.

What is your favorite book review from a reader?

Lieutenant Colonel Bob Adolph’s unforgettable and brutally frank history provides graphic meaning to the unattributed quote, “You are either at the table or on the menu.”

Can you share a random interesting fact about yourself?

The most important acquisition in life is wisdom.

What spark started one of your stories?

Being blown-up by a suicide bomber in Baghdad, Iraq.

What is one of your favorite scenes that you’ve written? Why?

The aftermath of the suicide bombing. I wanted readers to really feel that emotional experience.

What has been your most rewarding experience since publishing your work?

Speaking to university audiences.

What advice would you give to authors just starting out?

Writing is not for the faint of heart.

Is there anything else you’d like your readers to know about you?

I am an average man who has lived an extraordinary life.

What message are you sharing in your books?

Review Bob’s Laws at www.robertbruceadolph.com.

What are your favorite books?

The works of Ralph Peters and Robert Kaplan.

If you could create an author’s group with writers from any time period, who would you invite?

Those who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Who has influenced your writing the most?

Ralph Peters.

When you’re not writing, where can we find you?

Italy, Mexico, Egypt, and Washington, DC.

A movie producer wants to turn your book into a movie, and you get to make a cameo. What would you do in the movie?

One of the many corpses.

Do you have a website/Facebook page, etc?

www.robertbruceadolph.com

Where can we find your books?

All major booksellers, on Amazon.com – https://www.amazon.com/Surviving-United-Nations-corruption-redemption/dp/B0DVMWJZ4C/ and BN.com – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/surviving-the-united-nations-robert-bruce-adolph/1146915262?ean=9798988533399

Thank you, Robert, for spending time with us and sharing your story. We wish you continued success and lots of luck!

For information about Robert’s featured book and giveaway, click the link.

GENRE: NonFiction

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BLURB:

This is the astonishing true story of a US Army Special Forces soldier who became a warrior for peace.

In his humanitarian and peacekeeping missions for the United Nations he dealt with child-soldiers, blood diamonds, a double hostage-taking, an invasion by brutal guerrillas, an emergency aerial evacuation, a desperate hostage recover mission, tribal gunfights, refugee camp violence, suicide bombings, and institutional corruption.

His UN career brought him face to face with the best and worst of human nature and he shares it all here.

Excerpt:

The unarmed variety of peacekeeping is a different sort of military mission. UN member states provide officers to serve as military observers. The most common term is UNMO, short for UN Military Observer.

The general mission statement is to “observe and report.” UNMOs observe the status of the peace and write reports for the gratification of the UN Security Council that establishes the mandate under which the mission operates.

Essentially, unarmed UNMOs are placed on the ground between former belligerents. Their lives are then held hostage to the peace process.

Although little-reported, it is not uncommon for military observers to die in the performance of their duties. I found this type of peacekeeping service, in the abstract, to be an honorable endeavor.

The reality, though, was sometimes something else entirely. As a matter of historical import, approximately three thousand eight hundred peacekeepers have died in the performance of their duties around the globe.

Another type of peacekeeping involves the use of armed battalions. I had seen this permutation in 1990 while serving with UN Observer Group-Lebanon in the form of the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon, and two years later with the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia. My future mission would combine elements of both UNMOs and armed battalions.

The key assumption on the part of the UN Security Council when establishing a peacekeeping mission is that there is a genuine peace to keep. That assumption proved false in several countries.

About The Author:

Robert Bruce Adolph is a retired UN Chief Security Advisor & US Army Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel. He holds master’s degrees in both International Affairs (Middle East Studies) from American University’s School of International Service and National Security Studies and Strategy from the US Army’s Command and General Staff College.