Assessing The Ethical Foreign Policy Makers Politics Essay

Assessing The Ethical Foreign Policy Makers Politics Essay Kant states that we are rational beings; we can free ourselves from the casual necessity of the ordinary world of feelings and inclinations, and can follow the pure moral law, given by reason alone. The debate of means and ends is deeply involved in ethics and ethical foreign policy. Academics suggest that means and goals should be judged by the same set of ethical principles. Often actions that states undertake for a particular purpose can be ethical or unethical. Ethics can be defined as a complete and coherent system of convictions, values and ideas that provides a grid within which some sort of actions can be classified as evil, and so to be avoided, while other sort of actions can be classified as good, and so to be tolerated or even pursued  [1]   If ethics involves a choice between what is morally right and what is morally wrong, the possibility for ethical actions in foreign policy has proven in the past to be quite limited. Ethical foreign policy What passes for ethical standards for governmental policies in foreign affairs is a collection of moralisms, maxims, and slogans, which neither help nor guide, but only confuse, decision  [2]  . DEAN ACHESON Foreign policy is the area of politics that seeks to bridge the boundary between the nation state and its international environment. It refers to decision and actions that involve relations between an independent actor and other actors in the international arena  [3]  . The essential aims of foreign policy are the promotion of safety and prosperity. Sometimes domestic, international and regional actors and factors limit this aims. It has been argued by analysts that morality sits poorly to political action. This is due to the fact that is not always possible to make the best choice, and often the chosen one could be quite far from what is considered the best possible in the political world. Analysts suggest that an ethical foreign policy could be acceptable if: The procedure of the decision- making meets the demands of democratic decision-making. The consequences of the policy alternatives should be more useful than any alternative options examined. The human rights should not be violated. Idealists, Realists, Pragmatists The idealist school of thought states that ethics should govern all relationships. Furthermore, they argue that morality should not be taken in consideration only in domestic political life and ignored where other nations are concerned. Realists such as Machiavelli and Hobbes argue that the state of war is unavoidable in the world politics. The ethical problem of a separation between action and the notion of justice was central to the thinking of Machiavelli. In The Prince, he offers some immoral advice to the new prince: he must know when to act as a beast, how to look only to appearance, how not to be good. Machiavellis ethics consists in recognizing that the existence of human beings is burdened with conflicts  [4]  . Realists sustain that ethics is cultural and therefore variable and controversial. Pragmatists enunciate that foreign policy cannot be based on an absolute ethical ore unqualified national interest foundation. It must be factor in both but not totally reliant in one or another. The Doctrine of Double Effect and decision-making The principle of double effect states that we are responsible of those consequences of our acts which are both anticipated and intended  [5]  . This principle relies on the fact that states are allowed to carry out certain measures conscious from the fact that the measures have possible negative consequences. This Doctrine has later on combined to the Just War tradition related to the humanitarian military interventions. We are aware that is not ethical to attack non-fighting civilians, but according to the tradition it could be that states can attack morally even though the damages to the non-fighting parties can be anticipated. The moral value is determined by the actors intentions and motives. Nevertheless, it is quite difficult to determine the motives. If we take the example of the US attacking Iraq we cannot draw a line between the interests and the real motives, we do not know if the US wanted to free the people from the dictator or to ensure oil supply. Decision-making and evaluations of their consequences are often uncertain. Actors should evaluate better the consequences of their actions, for example, they should consider the effects of a war that could lead to environmental issues , to violence, that often is directed towards civilians and to the development aid which can lead to corruption of the administration. Often actors ignore such considerations in the pre- decision- making process. Decision-making and ethical evaluation remains an issue. In a representative democracy, citizens elect and authorize decision-makers to make decisions for the state to make decision on their behalf. They estimate how the state is promoting national interest; the foreign policy decision- makers represent their morals especially during the election process. Arnold Wolfers states that foreign policy decision making is not beyond moral judgment but rests on moral choices  [6]  . The National interest A democratic definition of the national interest does not accept the distinction between a morality-based and an interest based foreign policy. Moral values are simply intangible interests  [7]  . JOSEPH S. NYE JR. Democratic governments use strategic deceptions by justifying them with the concept of national interest. The division between what is in the national interest and what can be morally justified is often questionable. The national interest is the taking-for-granted base line for foreign policy within all the major parties ( Diana Francis CCTS REVIEW 33). It is a slippery concept, used to describe as well as prescribe foreign policy. It covers five crucial areas of foreign policy: Security, autonomy, welfare, status and prestige and economy. When we speak about national interest we almost always mean the common good of the members of political communities organized as sovereign states not the common good of nations that is, imagined communities of people united by ethnicity, language, history, culture, mythology or kinship (Anderson 1991)  [8]  . The phrase the national interest masks exactly which values leaders are attempting to promote and which they are willing to sacrifice   [9]  . Morgenthau considered as the ultimate realist philosopher, equated interest defined as power  [10]  . He argues that; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦There is a misconception, usually associated with the general depreciation and moral condemnation of power politics that international politics is so thoroughly evil that it is no use looking for moral limitations of the aspirations for power on the international scene. Yet, if we ask ourselves, what political leaders and diplomats are capable of doing to further the power objectives of their respective nations and what they actually do, we realize that they do less than they actually did in other periods of historyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã‚  [11]   In the last decade, western government policy-makers have considered ethics shifting away from the realist approach, where the national interest was the basis of policy-making. This policy shift has meant that the declarations of ethical foreign policy emanating from the governments of leading world powers are often uncritically taken at face value and assumed to be simply the right thing to do (The Guardian, 27 March 1999). The drive to act in the interests of others, rather than in purely national interests, can be seen in the justifications for a host of new policy initiatives including major international involvement in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, former Yugoslavia, East Timor and Sierra Leone in recent years.  [12]  For many commentators, the new, ethical nature of international foreign policy was given clearest expression in the international communitys support for military intervention in the 1999 Kosovo war  [13]  . The US intervention against Afghanistan in 2001 was framed using an ethical language underlying that the US was caring of others and was not pursuing its national interest. George W. Bush described the bombing of Afghanistan as an action of generosity of America and our allies in the aid of oppressed people of Afghanistan(Bush 2001). The US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld stated that the military action was following previous US-led interventions in Kuwait, Northern Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo, for the purpose of denying hostile regimes the opportunity to oppress their own people and other people he continues adding that We stand with those Afghans who are being repressed by a regime that abuses the very people it purports to lead( Rumsfeld 2001). David Chandler argues that western governments justified their military action to remove the Afghan regime, after September 11, through the condemnation of human rights record of the Taliban government, Tony Blair stated that; Look for a moment at the Taliban regime. It is undemocratic. That, goes without saying. There is no sport allowed, or television or photography. No art or culture are permitted Women are treated in a way almost too revolting to be credible. First driven out of university; girls not allowed to go to school; no legal rights; unable to go out of doors without a man. Those that disobey are stoned (Blair 2001). Tony Blairs statement shows again that the US and UK dont give other solution that military intervention. This was a further hint behind ethics, without taking in consideration the consequences on human rights. According to Mary Robinson ethical goals, like human rights protection are held to be moral duties and therefore the responsibility of everyone ( The Guardian, 23 October 1999) The ethical dimension Non- violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages  [14]   -Thomas Alva Edison On May 1997, the Labour government returned into power in Britain. An immediate change of the new government was the disclosing of the Mission Statement for the FCO. The Statement reads: The Mission of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is to promote the national interests of the United Kingdom and contribute to a strong international communityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ We shall pursue that Mission to secure for Britain four benefits through our foreign policy, the four benefits being security, prosperity, the equality of life and mutual respect. We shall work though our international forums and bilateral relationships to spread the values of human rights, civil liberties and democracy which we demand for ourselves (FCO, 1997a) Robin Cook (Foreign Secretary) seen as the initiating champion of ethical foreign policy strengthened the launch of the Statement: The Labour Government does not accept that political values can be left behind when we check in our passports to travel on diplomatic business. Our foreign policy must have an ethical dimension and must support the demands of other peoples for the democratic rights on which we insist for ourselves. We will put human rights at the heart of our foreign policy. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office ( Ethics and foreign policypg 15-16) Cook made the arms trade an issue. He made the following commitment in 17 July 1997 during his speech; Britain will refuse to supply the equipment and weapons with which regimes deny the demands of their peoples for human rightsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(FCO, 1997c) It was evident that such a policy might have consequences for British prosperity. Prosperity and mutual respect in the Mission Statement are described as a product of national interests. This could bring to the result of a trade-off between the two benefits, in other words one benefit could be scarified in order to achieve the other. Interests is associated with prosperity and ethics with mutual respect. This is the reason why potential conflicts between an interest -based foreign policy and a ethically conducted one are caused. For a long time during his career as Foreign Secretary it was difficult to divert the closure that ethical discussions will be adapted only if they were cost free. Cook allowed arms deals to proceed , the sale of Hawk jets and armoured vehicles to Indonesia are an example that ­ breached any possible notion of ethical exports and respect of human rights. In this case Britain has failed to act as a good citizen because it has placed selfish economic advantag e prior to human rights concerns  [15]  . He did, eventually, resign over Iraq, but he never pointed to the ethical contradiction inherent in being prepared to attack another country on the pretext that it had acquired weapons of mass destruction while his own country had them in abundance and was not honouring its NPT treaty obligations to get rid of them  [16]  . In the Blair government, militarism was the favoured mean of action and used as rhetoric of justification. The air attacks on Serbia and Kosovo and the international occupation of the latter were presented as an ethical intervention that are been morally justified. This justification has been used as a reference point for the later justification of the bombardment, invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq. Tony Blair has argued that it is vital for Britain to have war fighting as part of its way of being in the world. Peacekeeping, he says, is not enough. War fighting is an important element in our diplomac y. But the tone of moral rectitude is ever present  [17]  . The word foreign discourages an ethical approach and is inimical to it. For the British government necessity was the mother of morality. The use of the epithet dimension during the labour government was a wrong move as it has attracted public attention. Unlike previous governments the Labour government created the context for the development of human rights although it has failed in many occasions to live up with these, the labour government had the courage to attempt an ethical dimension to the foreign policy but failed to achieve this. Conclusion To conclude sovereignty is a value. As governments represent a hope and solution for citizens they should pursue an ethical foreign policy. This can aim at a moralizing state behaviour but cannot establish perfection because moral actions are obviously limited by the fear of war and economic collapse, these bring the sates to act in order to prevent threats considering less morality. Before undertaking any kind of actions government need to have a deep expertise of the case and to be morally aware. We can end agreeing with Hoffemann who stated that: the ethical dimension cannot be taken into consideration as todays states are not ready to commit Hara-kiri.

The Noble Gases Essay -- essays research papers

The Noble Gases   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Noble Gases are the far right elements on the periodic table. On the earth they are scarce so we don ¹t see much of them. They are do not react well with anything. In fact until around the 50 ¹s they hadn ¹t found anything that they would react with any of the gases. But then someone found out that Fluorine one the of most reactive elements could form compounds with Xenon. Later they found that it could react with most of the other nobles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Helium is one of the more scarce nobles on earth but in the universe it makes up 25% of it. Helium ¹s presence was discovered by using spectral analysis to detect helium in the sun ¹s spectrum. Helium is not found a lo...

Ophelia “Frailty They Name Is Woman”

Hamlet says, â€Å"Frailty thy name is woman†. Consider this statement in the light of the presentation of Aphelia; Identify key scenes and soliloquies for analysis Discuss various productions/interpretations State your preference of interpretation The word frail meaner when a person or object has the quality of being weak, fragile, weak in health or being morally unstable, also someone who is easily manipulated and influenced by people that surround them, unable to stand on their own. In this essay I plan to look into the character of Aphelia in the play Hamlet by WilliamShakespeare, to see whether she is a frail character and what factors contribute to this. I want to look at particular scenes where Aphelia is involved and ones where she is being described and used in order to see how Aphelia reacts to the other characters in the play, to see if she shows any particular signs of being frail. In act 1 scene 2 Hamlet is referring to his mother describing his feelings on how un acceptable it is that she has moved on so hastily from the man that she seemed to love so dearly. He then says â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman! He is at the time aiming his comment at his mother and his anger for the new King but he also labels innocent Aphelia under this as well. We have to remember that Aphelia was brought up in a society that is male dominant, the women in Elizabethan times had little control on what was to become of their lives and were closely governed by their fathers and husbands. The women in this period would be expected to obey their husband's orders and father's wishes. It is therefore not surprising that Aphelia isn't given many lines in the play itself but she is a key tool used throughout by; Hamlet,Polonium and Claudia in a bid to out do and catch one another out. I would agree with Jacques Lilac here in his introduction of Aphelia in one of his seminars that began with â€Å"That piece of bait named Aphelia† she is indeed used as bait by tho se closest to her and they don't seem to care if the bait gets snapped up in the process. This meddling and toying with her makes it impossible for her to escape and contributes to her death, this is done by the people close to her whom she looks up to and respects enough to be reliant on them and to also totally trust them with her affairs and problems but they misuse her and manipulate her naivety.From the beginning Aphelia is portrayed to us as a delicate, well spoken, respectful young lady but one who is being instructed and ordered by her brother to uphold the family name by not consenting to sex with Hamlet before marriage, even though she does voice her own opinions on the matter she does seem to obey and follow what her brother is firmly suggesting she does. Although I think here Aphelia shows her true collectedness and wit in that she knows that her brother is likely to be going against these rules himself and therefore being hypocritical.But, good my brother, Do not as som e ungracious pastors do, Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven, Whiles, like a puffed and reckless libertine, himself the primrose path of dalliance treads, and reeks not his own red. † Here she voices her point but in a very dignified way. All she wants is her brother to have a sense of fairness between them and put aside the fact that she is seen as weaker being a woman and is almost voicing a plea for equality. In comparison after this she is then instructed again, now by her forceful, religious father who simply thinks that Hamlet's love for Aphelia is not love t all but that it's Just lust.He thinks he has his daughter's best interest in mind but he doesn't give her much time to think about her feelings or to voice them to him. In act 1 scene 3 Aphelia confides in her father explaining what Hamlet has said to her and also what she believes Hamlet's feelings are towards her. â€Å"And hath given countenance to his speech, my lord, with almost all the holy vows of hea ven. † This shows not only that she trusts Hamlet's love but that she is very open with her father and that she has a great deal of trust in him and doesn't have to hold back or keep secrets from him.She is quite naive in thinking that she can have complete trust in Polonium. He uses this great trust his daughter has in him to his advantage to gain favor with Claudia. Some may say that it is here she is frail in that she does not stand up for what she believes or for her love for Hamlet. She quickly obeys her father's wishes to stop seeing him without thinking about what she truly wants. In reply to Aphelion's feelings and beliefs on Hamlet's love for her, Polonium shows in his tone and language his disregard for his daughter's feelings and level of maturity. â€Å"Think yourself a baby. † off speak like a green girl. â€Å"Ay, fashion you may call it. † Here he is likening her to a baby, maybe meaning she is weak, young and frail and has to depend on others in o rder to survive amongst them. Also he mocks her because he does not believe that Hamlet's love for her is real although she does. He is almost humoring her because he thinks she is a fool for thinking that Hamlet's love is true and is constantly putting her down calling her a green girl because she is not ripe yet and therefore not old enough to see what is really going on. This scene and discussion ends simply with Aphelia saying; l shall obey. She has been brought up not to argue with her father but I agree with David Pennington when he says, â€Å"Aphelion's willingness to let her father interpret for her is very disappointing† because in contrast to her ability to stand up to her brother she has no ability to oppose her father. In act 2 scene 2 Polonium is conversing with Claudia trying to arrange a meeting between Aphelia and Hamlet. â€Å"I'll loose my daughter to him. † Her father talks about her like a piece of bait or a pawn under his complete control, he make s her sound like an animal being let loose like a wild dog, suddenly released.This is her father yet again taking control of her life and happiness when he suggests that they set up a meeting with Hamlet so that Polonium and Claudia get to spy on the situation and hear what Hamlet has to say. It is in this scene that Hamlet now uses Aphelia as a target for his anger, frustration and feelings of hatred for the foul play of Polonium and Claudia. He is blunt and horrible when he voices his anger claiming there was never anything between him and Aphelia; â€Å"l loved you not† â€Å"Marry a fool for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. Hamlet is quite cold hearted and harsh in the things he chooses to say to Aphelia. He also directs comments through her such as; â€Å"l say we will have no more marriage. Those that are married already all but one, shall live. † Here Hamlet is threatening Claudia and really trying to scare and intimidate him by suggest ing that he is going to kill him. Aphelion's reaction to this scene with Hamlet and his mockery of her is little and she comes across as quite feeble with little to reply with. â€Å"O help him, you sweet heavens. â€Å"O heavenly powers, restore him. † Instead of replying directly, she is pleading to the heavens and God as if the devil or evil has changed Hamlet and she wishes they could change him back. This could be seen as naivety to think it is not down to Hamlet himself. She shows frailty here; in that she soon looses confidence and also the will to stand up for herself and the love she thought she had with Hamlet. Act 4 scene 7 Aphelion's death is announced by Gertrude in front of Alerter and Claudia.Aphelion's death is described in such a personal, peaceful and elegant way it's a very good cover up for the struggle and madness that is quickly spreading amongst the castle. â€Å"Her clothes spread wide, mermaid like they bore her up†¦ Lulled the poor wretch from her melodious lay to muddy death. † These lines said by Gertrude create a poetic image of Aphelion's supposed accidental death. The description has probably been changed in this way because committing suicide was a sin and the church would have been disgusted at the thought that someone involved with the royal family would do such a thing.Aphelia would not be authorized to have a proper funeral and burial if it was seen to be suicide. Even though parts of the description are lovely and create images and reflections of Aphelia there is still a harsh awakening with the words ‘muddy death' that soon bring o back to the reality of what has happened and now a disturbing factor has been added. You can almost misread the play and not notice she has in fact killed herself, after her suffering she doesn't even get a dramatic exit like all the other deaths in the play and seems instead to sink to her death.This may be because of Aphelion's personality and general aura that a pain ful slow death would not fit with her character and her back story. The description itself makes it seem as if the water did not have to fight to bring her down but that it was actually very easy and with no trudge, portraying that Aphelia is in fact frail in that she could not fight harder and get herself out of the deep, dark hole in her mind that she had retreated into.In the two films I have watched of Hamlet, the portrayal of Aphelia has been different. In Kenneth Branch's version, Aphelia is how I imagine her to be; quite striking, elegant and she also comes across as quite an intelligent young lady played by Kate Winglet. When she talks she doesn't shy away and seem frail, she actually seems to voice her lines quite forcefully when appropriate. However when she turns ad in this film production I think the acting and the overall look of Aphelia is somehow out of place.I think she needs to show her crazy side in a more subdued style of acting and with a slightly more psychotic side to it, this is where Franco Ziegfeld's film for me excels because I think Helena Bonham Carter's take on Aphelia is better and more like I expected it to be as depicted from the original script. Her natural ability to have that â€Å"off the rails† look about her is a major plus, she pulls off the crazy act but in an elegant and purely quite disturbing way. Her overall portrayal f Aphelia however, seems weak and she seems to Just blend further and further into the background.In conclusion I think Aphelion's character is like a child getting caught in between the cross fire and I think that her story is tragic in its own way because of her being kept close but constantly in the background. She gets forgotten about and used by the powerful men in the play. I agree with Barbara Everett when she says that â€Å"Licensor is what was once known as a â€Å"man's world†, one given up to the pursuit of power in a conventional system of rivalries. There is little place for women in such a world, and he women of this tragedy are markedly shadowy and faint†.I think that Aphelia could be seen as sheltered naive and frail. I think it's through no fault of her own however, but rather through the pressures of society, family and her peers. Bibliography http://www. opensourceshakespeare. Org http://Shakespearean. Org. UK/ critical essays on Shakespearean hamlet general editor Jack Bowen written version of one of Jacques Lagan's seminars www. Sparseness. Co. UK Henchman advanced Shakespeare set text http://faculty. Petticoats. Du/?Nichols/aphelia. HTML by Carla Williams

Ibo People Essay examples - 1127 Words

* The Ibo people have a civilized community because they have an organized structure to their society with rules and laws. A society that employs morals, ethics, and accountability for peoples’ actions cannot be considered savage. The Ibo are highly religious; the base of most of their daily life revolves around religion, whether it is how they raise their families or how they grow crops, such as yams. * In a savage setting, the parents would usually not bother to educate their children or abandon them at a very early age to fend for themselves. In the Ibo culture, the children learn socially complex skills, morals and discipline, which shows evidence of a civilized society. * They have complicated rituals involving masks†¦show more content†¦Many uncivilized places would have left the injured member to fend for themselves. * Did you guys want to use this since its about government? The society itself is organized mostly by a person’s title, which states their place in a sort of government. The Egwugwu act much like â€Å"judges† and the people themselves try to settle things peacefully between each other. Draft Intro: The Ibo people have a civilized community because they have an organized structure to their society with rules and laws. A society that employs morals, ethics, and accountability for peoples’ actions is not uncivilized. The importance of religion and communication, showing through art and music, shows their advanced mindset as a whole society. The Nigerian country also shows these qualifications, despite many beliefs that African countries are uncivilized, they are civilized as well. Family must play a large part in the civilized culture. This shows civilization by explaining how each member in a society is watched after and taken care of. Religion also must be taken seriously, and there must be a majority of one religion in a society, or else the culture is too diverse. This separates them from each other, halting any possible growing as a civilization. Sociologist/Cultural Body Paragraph: The Ibo have a highly religious culture; the base of most of their daily life revolves around religion, whether it is how they raiseShow MoreRelatedSummary Of Chinua Achebe s The Ibo Culture 818 Words   |  4 PagesQ Zhang HE 250 - 09 Storytelling in the Ibo Culture The Nigerian classic Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe skillfully delineates the daily lives of African communities from a local perspective. Specifically, Achebe’s book focuses on the Ibo culture and the oral traditions within the indigenous society. Because the Ibo people do not have a written language, the book shows oral tradition—mainly storytelling—as the main shaping force for their culture and society. 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