Plato’s Republic and the Just War Theory Versus Humanitarian Intervention

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Recommended: International relations humanitarian intervention

American involvement in humanitarian intervention is one of the most controversial issues in contemporary US foreign policy. The definition of humanitarian intervention is a military intervention; entering into a country for the purposes of saving lives and protecting citizens from the violation of their human rights. As in all debates, there are always two sides. One side disputes that military force should only be applied when, in the words of former Secretary of Defense Weinberger, ‘a vital national interest is at stake.’ ¹ The opposing side disputes that the US should apply military force to mediate when in the words of former president Clinton, “someone comes after innocent civilians…and it is in our power to stop it, we will stop it,” even if a vital national interest is not at stake.² The just war theory and Plato’s Republic can both be used to justify the humanitarian intervention doctrine.

Just war theory deals with the justification of how and why wars are fought. It is a set of conditions under which a resort to war is morally legitimate, also known as jus ad bellum. It also contains rules for the moral conduct of war, known as jus in bello. The theory is intended to prevent wars by showing that going to war except in certain circumstances is wrong, thus motivating states to find other ways of resolving conflicts. Among the suggested conditions for the legitimacy of war are that the cause be just, that the authority figure declares it, that all peaceful alternatives be exhausted, and that there be a plausible successful surmise.

1 .W. Weinberger, The Uses of Military Power, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/military/force/weinberger.html

2. Bob Davis, “Cop of the World? Clinton pledges U.S. Power Ag...

... middle of paper ...

...nditions of the just war theory, but it is also ‘just’ according to Plato. All of these examples from the just war theory and Plato’s Republic, provide justification and support for the fundamentals of humanitarian intervention.

Bibliography

Weinberger, W. The Uses of Military Power.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/military/force/weinberger.html

Davis, Bob. “Cop of the World? Clinton pledges U.S. Power Against Ethnic Cleansing but his

Aides Hedge.” Wall Street Journal, (1999): A12.

Plato. Republic. Translated by C.D.C. Reeve. Indiana: Indianapolis, 2004.

McLean, Iain. Humanitarian Intervention. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1O86-

humanitarianintervention.html

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Just War Theory.” http://www.iep.utm.edu/justwar/

Intro to Just War Theory. http://www.justwartheory.com/#INTRODUCTION

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