In international relations, ethical considerations are often subjugated to the strategic interests of nation-states. Discuss this from an ethical perspective.
10 marks · answer in 150 words · directive: Discuss
The core of a good answer
States do often place interest above ethics, as realists argue, but national interest and ethics are not always opposed; enlightened self-interest, international law and global public goods show that ethical foreign policy is both possible and in a nation's long-term interest.
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What the question asks
Discuss the claim from both sides: explain realism and why ethics is subordinated, then show the ethical counter-arguments and examples where ethics shaped policy. End with a balanced view.
Answer outline
Introduction
The tension between power and principle is as old as Thucydides' Melian dialogue and Kautilya's Arthashastra.
Why ethics is subordinated
- Realism (Hans Morgenthau, Politics Among Nations): states pursue interest defined as power; no world government to enforce morality.
- Examples: arms sales to rights violators, silence on abuses by strategic partners, veto use in the UN Security Council.
Ethical critique
- Kantian view: treat people as ends; universal human dignity does not stop at borders.
- Consequentialist view: wars, refugee flows, pandemics and climate change harm all; cooperation maximises welfare.
- Legitimacy and soft power depend on credibility.
Ethics in practice
- Responsibility to Protect (2005 World Summit); humanitarian aid; climate commitments.
- India's tradition: Panchsheel (1954), Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (G20 theme 2023), Vaccine Maitri (2021).
Balance
- Enlightened national interest: align strategy with values; consistent principles; multilateralism.
Conclusion
Ethics and interest need not be rivals; a foreign policy rooted in values builds lasting trust and therefore lasting security.
Examples and data to cite
- Panchsheel: Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, in the 1954 India-China agreement.
- Responsibility to Protect endorsed at the 2005 UN World Summit (paragraphs 138 and 139 of the Outcome Document).
- Vaccine Maitri: India began supplying COVID-19 vaccines to other countries from 20 January 2021; Bhutan and the Maldives were the first recipients.
- India's G20 Presidency (2023) theme: Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, One Earth, One Family, One Future.
Facts to remember
- Hans Morgenthau, Politics Among Nations: the statesman must think in terms of the national interest, conceived as power among other powers.
- Article 51 of the Constitution (Directive Principle) asks the State to promote international peace and respect for international law.
- Thucydides' Melian dialogue (History of the Peloponnesian War) is the classic statement that power, not justice, governs relations between unequal states.
Where it sits in the syllabus
- GS4: Ethics and human interface; human values
Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships. Human Values: lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
- GS4: Moral thinkers and philosophers
Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.