Developing a Principled Approach to Foreign Intervention

The Challenge

The United States is pursuing an unconventional war against global terrorism, and, at the same time, as the only surviving superpower, is being asked to protect threatened groups around the world. We must develop ethical principles that can govern our interventions in the affairs of other countries.

What's at Stake

Some questions could not be asked in the immediate wake of September 11. Grief and outrage dominated our thinking. We instinctively acted to protect our interests and root out the sources of terrorism in other lands. But as we confront a reconfigured world, the United States must examine anew its role in the world. The U.S. has declared war on terrorism, where the enemy is not necessarily a particular state but rather networks operating within countries that may or many not be our enemies. As the only remaining superpower, we cannot avoid many regional conflicts, such as the current violence between Israelis and Palestinians. And we have defined as enemies a group of states, such as Iraq, that may well pose dangers but have not as yet declared war against us or committed outright acts of war. Finally, because of our wealth and resources, the United States is often called upon to intervene for humanitarian reasons-to protect the rights of women or minorities or to prevent catastrophes such famine.

Critical Questions

• What is this nation's obligation to mediate-and even force compromise-in regional conflicts?

• Are we obligated to intervene in other countries to protect human rights? Should we accept foreign cultural norms as justification for oppression that by our standards is wrong?

• Under what circumstances is it ethical to hunt down and kill enemies such as Osama bin Laden when that requires either violation of other nations' sovereignty or alliances with oppressive regimes?

• Are we justified in invading a nation, such as Iraq, because it possesses the same weapons of mass destruction that we have?

• We label as terrorists individuals who operate across national borders sometimes without allegiance to a particular state. Yet many people suffer terrorism-such as torture and kidnapping-at the hands of their own governments. When we support such governments, do we sacrifice our moral authority to wage our own war against terrorism?

May 21, 2002

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