Preview

Humanitarian Intervention Valentino Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
670 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Humanitarian Intervention Valentino Analysis
The True Cost of Humanitarian Intervention (Valentino)

The main premise of this article, is that military interventions are to be avoided at all cost and are not a productive way of reinforcing human rights and solving the issue of the “loss of lives” from a morailistic humanitarian perspective. The author is referencing primarily the humanitarian factor and believes that military interference is not necessary. Valentino believes aid development instead of intervention could save more lives and be more efficient at the same time. He mentions, that even liberals post cold war are pro intervention, when formally, as in the case of Vietnam, they had always been against it. The author however acknowledges that the left wing supported interventions have been ethical/humanitarian ones (or out of belief
…show more content…
The moral, political and economic price is being undererstimated according to Valentino. He gives the alternative of saving lives through public health programs and aiding in natural disasters. He argues the human rights violations can not be excused and are too costly , i.e.: Milosevic as well as UN forces (executions, abduction, beatings human organ trafficking in Kosovo). Saving lives is synonymous with taking lives in this context, due to civilian deaths (NATO violating international humanitarian law). Valentino mentions the negative effect, specifically for the US, on relations with china and russia, which have soured due to interventions, as well as actions in Kosovo and Iraq dimishing the legitimacy of the UN, by ignoring their need to authorize such an involvement. Opportunity costs and major military expenses, are funds that could have been used elsewhere. Valentino believes that through these alternative programs (public health: i.:e: vaccinations; taking refugees- keeping borders open; disaster relief) issues could be solved without violence. Violence isn’t necessary, aid in combination with diplomatic

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Storm of Steel Paper

    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In order to answer this question it is first important to determine the fraises “pro-war” and “anti-war”. The term “pro-war” describes an attitude in which war is desired, necessary or justifiable. The term “anti-war” describes the opposite; war is viewed as immoral and is generally opposed and condemned. This paper will argue that there are grounds in the book to support both proposition.…

    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his book, Michael Howard describes what liberal thinkers have expressed about the entity of war in different periods in history. Chronologically, he has tried to persuade us with the teachings of Erasmus and Thomas Paine to Mazzini’s idea of nationalism and its effect on war, to Jeremy Bentham’s arguments all the way up to the twentieth century capturing the liberal thinker’s philosophy of Fascism and Communism.…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    SOC 300 Week 4 Assignment 1 – The Effects of War and Peace on Foreign Aid – Strayer Latest…

    • 290 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Rogerian Argument Outline

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages

    External military and diplomatic intervention has been the key to solving major civil conflicts and preventing possible genocides in countries such as sierra Leone and Libya while people in countries such as Rwanda and currently in Syria endure the worst because of the blind eye or unwillingness to react to atrocities against humanity by the international community.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is simply human nature to act in one’s view of what’s right and what’s wrong and that posses a major problem when trying to remain neutral is significantly difficult conflicts and challenges. In many scenarios there are tough decisions to be made in regards to taking political stance or politicizing action in humanitarian conflicts. A great example to begin with is from the article by Tom Daschile discussing the current crisis in Ukraine. The piece covers that the Russian government is providing economic assistance and aid to pro-Russian separatist in Ukraine, while the Ukrainian military is outmanned and out of money. The dilemma this piece brings about is questioning whether or not the US and European Union should intervene or financially aid the Ukrainian forces. Is there a right to intervene between conflicts of state governments of two sovereign states? Will the US appear as imperialist if they intervene and support a pro-Ukrainian side for the country? The idea of going in to Ukraine to “save” the Ukrainian people from Russia posses an issue to picking sides and consent against the pro-separatist in Ukraine who want to become part of Russia. The crisis in Ukraine does not appear in the same nature as many other humanitarian crises…

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    To conclude, there is no doubt that the conflict of war is a useless encounter that affects many innocent people’s lives, the economic stability and physiological wellbeing of soldiers. It is evident that in some circumstances society makes war to ensure peace, and on the surface this seems rational, even plausible. However, in reality throughout the journey there is a great human and economic cost…

    • 66 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The decision to go to war has nothing to do with the individuals fighting the war. The warfighters are merely following the orders of the politicians and heads of state who have decided to enter into a war. Walzer claims, “We draw a line between the war itself, for which soldiers are not responsible, and the conduct of the war, for which they are responsible, at least within their own sphere of activity” (39). Soldiers are only responsible for what they directly take part in, so as long as both sides, whether fighting a just or unjust war, follow Jus in Bello principals all soldiers should have the same moral equality. However, Jeff McMahan presents a refutation to this belief in his piece, “Rethinking the ‘Just War’ Part 1”, in which he poses the idea that soldiers are directly responsibility for justice/ injustice of a war. McMahan adheres to a school of thought known as the revisionist approach which believes, “ … that it is the individual…

    • 1191 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although there may be probable cause for intervention, we still shouldn’t interfere until explicitly asked or told to by the Security Council. As seen in previous readings, often intervention fails meet the nation building effort we put in. Therefore if we go in with the actual humanitarian reasons we claim to have, we will always succeed. However, we always have these underlying motivations and goals that we never seem to be able to reach.…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This article speaks about the recent new that a coalition of seventy partners, which includes the United States, has gotten involved in the Syrian Uprising by pledging to donate millions of dollars and communications equipment to the rebel groups in Syria who are opposing Assad's rule. This move by the U.S and other Western powers symbolizes the start of a new type of involvement in Syria, perhaps a more direct one. This move by these powers have caused many Syrian rebels and people observing all over the world to question whether diplomacy and/or sanction methods can truly end the Syrian regime's oppression of their people. This more direct shift of action by the Western and Arab allies of the Syrian rebels toward balancing the military balance in Syria is dangerous regionally because the crisis there is similar to a proxy conflict, which could possibly aggravate sectarian tensions. The Syrian rebel army is currently overmatched by the regime forces in terms of weapons.…

    • 1250 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In “The Purpose of Intervention”, Finnemore aims to highlight the changes that have taken place in both global patterns of intervention and the ways in which international societal views of what constitutes the “legitimate” use of force, have evolved historically. Finnemore argues that while humanitarian intervention has continued to exist throughout history, the specific normative justifications surrounding it have changed.…

    • 136 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    History has been shown to repeat itself, and if we don't learn from it, we are doomed to repeat it. We have watched many genocides happen within the last decade, some of which the U.S. has intervened, and in some cases where they have not. The United States should not intervene in foreign countries for humanitarian reasons because the U.S. may lack investing the amount of troops and resources necessary to make the intervention successful ; that doctrine will be abused unless there is a self-interest at stake.…

    • 1564 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “History repeats itself” is a phrase commonly heard and used by many people. After World War I, The League of Nations was formed as an international organization to preserve world peace. However, after World War II it became evident that the League was ineffective in its prevention, so it was replaced by The United Nations in 1945. The purpose was to become a collective international organization of countries to prevent events such as war and genocide from occurring, after witnessing the horrific atrocities of WWII. However, even after the formation of the UN, several other wars and genocides had occurred between 1945 to today, and in particular there was a brutal genocide in Bosnia. Bosnia lies next to the Adriatic Sea, paralleling the “boot” of Italy. Bosnia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1878 to World War One. After the War, the geographical area became Yugoslavia. By 1980 the population of Bosnia consisted of 2 million Bosnian Serbs and Croats (Catholic Christians) and over 1m Bosnians (Sunni Muslim), all claiming Bosnia as their homeland.1 After the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, tensions were rising in Bosnia and Herzegovina; between two ethnic groups, the Bosnians (Muslims) and the Serbs. It was clear a war was on the rise, but the UN’s repeated failure on multiple issues allowed what could have been a preventable war and genocide to happen. Firstly, the UN tried to limit their involvement in the war by sending only a limited number of troops for humanitarian purposes. Furthermore, they attempted to set up safe zones, which failed miserably because their forces were too widespread and the areas were open and exposed, easily allowing them to be taken over. Additionally, the Dutch soldiers that were guarding the safe areas were ill equipped and exhausted due to lack…

    • 2354 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Shenon, P. (1999). Crisis in the Balkans: The Atrocities. A State Department Report Documents Kosovo Abuses. Retrieved April 20, 2009 from http://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/11/world/crisis-balkans-atrocities-state-department-report-documents-kosovo-abuses.html?n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FSubjects%2FW%2FWomen…

    • 2680 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The article discusses that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) peace enforcement mission and the United Nations (UN) protectorate failed to credibly establish their authority. Also, a loosely veiled incarnation of the Kosovo Liberation Army. And is described as implementing a policy of systematic revenge killings.…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “One of the world’s most brutal and longest-running armed conflicts claimed over two million lives due to government-backed mass murder, enforced starvation, and scorched-earth tactics that amounted to genocide” (“Operation Broken Silence”). The 22-year civil war in Sudan has caused massive destruction including social, cultural and economical problems for Sudan and has also affected other countries around the world. One of these countries includes the United States. There is great controversy about whether or not the United States should have gotten more involved with the civil war in Sudan. Some people believe that getting more involved would have caused more trouble to the U.S.; however if the…

    • 1247 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays