In international relations, ethical considerations are often subjugated to the strategic interests of nation-states. Discuss this from an ethical perspective.
International relations has long been dominated by political realism (Morgenthau, Kautilya) — where national interest, power and survival trump moral considerations. Yet reducing IR to pure realpolitik is ethically unsustainable.
Ethical Critique:
- Consequentialist cost: Amoral policies breed instability — arms races, refugee crises, climate breakdown.
- Universal moral claims: Human rights, prohibition of genocide, laws of war (Geneva Conventions) reflect a shared moral floor no state may cross.
- Selective outrage on Ukraine while ignoring Gaza or Myanmar corrodes global moral authority.
- Historical wrongs: Colonialism, slavery, unequal treaties were "strategic" yet universally condemned in hindsight.
Balancing Realism with Ethics:
- Enlightened self-interest: Ethical conduct builds soft power and trust (India's vaccine diplomacy, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam).
- Institutionalise ethics: UN, ICC, WTO norms constrain raw power.
- Public accountability through domestic democracy checks foreign-policy excesses.
Purely strategic IR is short-sighted; ethical realism — pursuing interests within moral limits — best serves both nation and humanity.
Answered By:
Harsh Raj
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