week 9: humanitarian intervention (my video essay question, cant answer on exam)

Humanitarian Intervention

The use of military force by one or more states against another state to protect civilians from violence and repression.

History of Humanitarian Interventions

The engagement of British, French, and Russian governments in the 1800s in military actions to save people who were not their citizens, particularly against the Ottoman Empire.

Domestic Human Rights Campaigns

Pressuring policymakers to take action, such as the British advocating for Greek Christian independence from the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century.

Selectivity in Interventions

Launching interventions selectively, helping some groups while ignoring others, as seen in European powers supporting Ottoman Christians but not intervening in other oppressed communities.

Ending Political Violence

Humanitarian interventions are considered essential to ending severe forms of political violence like massacres, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.

Unintended Consequences

Humanitarian interventions can sometimes worsen situations by creating chaos, increasing poverty, or installing worse governments, as exemplified by the cases of Libya and Kosovo.

Imperialism by Disguise

The idea that humanitarian intervention can be a cover for pursuing state power under the guise of moral language and rights talk.

Strategic Victimhood

Calculated behavior where a group amplifies its suffering to attract external aid or resources, as seen in conflicts like Darfur.

Foreign Policy Tools

Humanitarian intervention is one of many foreign policy tools policymakers can use to promote human rights globally, alongside options like naming and shaming, imposing sanctions, or engaging in cyber warfare.

Justifying Humanitarian Intervention

Questions to consider include the likelihood of success, the severity of rights violations, the wishes of the civilians, and the exhaustion of other policy options before resorting to military force.