Ethics in International Relations — Moral Realism & Humanitarian Intervention

Knowledge Themes

Structural Subtopics

• Just War Theory and its application to modern conflicts
• Ethics of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine
• Moral realism vs ethical idealism in foreign policy
• Tension between state sovereignty and universal human rights
• Ethical implications of humanitarian intervention vs national interest
• Criteria for legitimate authority in military interventions
• Ethics of selective intervention and geopolitical bias
• Proportionality and discrimination in humanitarian military action
• Moral duty of diplomatic criticism and economic sanctions
• Max Weber’s ethics of responsibility vs ethics of conviction
• Role of international organizations and NGOs in ethical oversight
• Post-intervention ethics and the responsibility to rebuild
• Human security paradigm vs traditional state security
• Ethical dilemmas of "right intention" in humanitarian aid and force