Ethical Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Ethical Foreign Policy - Essay Example In addition a global discourse of human rights is emerging, which in turn, reflects in a large number of international legal instruments.2 This discourse warrants intervention where rights are being abused on a large scale and where at the same time a global opinion in favour of democracy is observed. Why This is primarily because the "in time" availability of information makes the issue more sensitive since the natural instinct of "helping" in human nature is effectively activated. In addition due to a more accessible world people and governments (representative of the people) feel themselves to be more attached with the affairs of others as they directly or indirectly affect them politically, economically or sheer as per the national morality/psyche. This essay will first clarify ethical foreign policy. It will then examine foreign policy ethics and interests. Thirdly, it wills discuses how to construct ethical foreign policies in a government. Finally it will conclude that the most important points in the study, with a recommendation for any future work. It iWhat is ethical foreign policy It is not reflective of actual practice to posit a dichotomy between, on one hand, an ethical foreign policy, and on the other, a non-ethical foreign policy.3 The growing interaction amongst nation state at international canvass has made it impossible that the action of one state is devoid of the effect on other state. This existing interconnectedness of actions of one state and the effects on the other state had made it impossible to have foreign policy which is devoid of ethical strings. However, the depth and breadth of ethical paradigms might be different for different nations. Therefore, the issues are focused on rather how governments act ethically, according to certain criteria, and how they balance competing ethical claims. The governments must be pragmatic, because they cannot formulate foreign policy from a predetermined ethical standpoint.4 The pedestal of "ethical standpoint" has to be different for every government. The reason is that the intensity or the will to follow the ethical strings/viewpoints or even formulation of those, is directly proportional to numerous factors within the government which include military/economic might and the resultant fall out on the nation, of the event taking place. Example That is exactly what happened in case of Iraq War. To have a nuclear weapon, if seen from ethical stand point of protecting one's country, was justified from Iraq's point of view. However, US saw it as a direct threat to itself in particular and world in general. This led US to adopt pre-emptive strategy. On the other hand many of the world nations were not interested in US strategy as they were viewing the issue from the "ethical stand point" of engaging and resolving issue through dialogue with Iraq. Further, the resultant expected destabilization of the region and loss of life was not thought to be ethical enough by those nations. Reality is that US did go for the war because it had the