EQ3 HHR +I Flashcards
how are human rights used as arguments for political and military intervention
what is an intervention
an action taken by one or more sovereign states within the territory of another sovereign state, in order to change the political and social conditions in that place
what are some motives for interventions
- to protect human rights o humanitarian grounds
- to help a country development / provide aid
- to develop trade agreements
- to enhance social progress
what types of intervention are there?
- development aid
- trade embargoes
- military aid
- indirect military action
- direct military action
what is development aid
money, technical help or physical supplies
often involves IGOs and NGOs
aims to improve quality of life by meeting basic needs
what are trade embargoes
economic sanctions
preven a country undertaking international trade in the normal way
pressure placed on receiving state to change policies as economy suffers
what is military aid
money provided from one sovereign state to another for military supplies
what is indirect military action
military equipment or advisers provided
usually done in support of one side in a civil conflict
what is direct military action
armed forces from one sovereign state engaging in conflict in another sovereign state
often done as a coalition
what limits a government intervening with other sovereign states
international law prohibits one sovereign state intervening in the international affairs of another
when can a overnment intervene with another sovereign state
if the state subject to intervention committed an act of aggression
or
human rights are widespread and there is a humanitarian crisis
what is a humanitarian crisis
an event or number of events which threatens the health, safety, and wellbeing of a large number of people
what limits IGOs in terms of intervention
all 5 permanent members of the UN security council must agree to intervention
BUT UN has the right to intervene if they do
what are some examples of NGOs which campaign solely on human rights issues
amnesty international
human rights watch
what is amnesty international, when and where was it founded
UK 1961
a mass membership organisation funded by members and supporters which promotes direct action such as protests, letter writing and campaigning
what is human rights watch, when and where was it founded
USA 1978
funded by wealthy individuals
puts pressure on governments to take action and intervene
what are the difficulties with intervention
- disagreements between NGOs, IGOs and governments on scale of intervention
- UN has no military forces of its own- relies on donation from member states
- NGOs have little power to intervene
- geography could make it technically difficult
- risk of intervention leading to wider conflict
what are the four areas of sovereignty
- government has authority over territory
- gov controls movement of people and goods across border
- gov recognised by other govs
- other organisations outside the territory don’t have higher authority
why does there need to be very strong moral and ethical grounds for direct military intervention
intervention is essentially illegal as breaches principle of sovereignty - a crucial element of international law
what are two ways to offer indirect economic intervention
- offering aid with strings attached to seek to improve some aspects of human rights
- negotiating trade agreements such as lower import tariffs or removing import quotas- on condition that human rights improved
what is indirect economic intervention
development aid
western governments intervene and use economic levers to apply pressure
what countries receive aid (general q)
- countries experiencing conflict of terrorism
-countries coping with refugee crisis - poor, strategically important sub Saharan African countries
none of top ten recipients have any kind of democracy
what 4 ways do development aid vary
scale
financially- small gift vs global appeal
time scale - emergency aid -> disease eradication
mix of providers- local charities to major IGOs and NGO players
what are some concerns about development aid
- aid in form of grants seen as inappropriate- should be donating technology
- concern over budgets being too small or too big
- criticism of distribution of aid- giving to developing economies
- encourages dependency instead of progress
- to much aid money spent on military or siphoned off so not much reaches minority groups and human rights
how can investment in economic development be more positive than aid ?
- aid can lead to or worsen corruption
- economic development can provide employment
- economic development offers more long term solutions
- aid can lead to dependency
