HHR&I - Topic 8 EQ3 Flashcards
What are the different forms of geopolitical interventions used to defend human rights?
1) development aid
2) military aid
3) military action
4) trade embargoes
What is development aid?
- it’s financial aid given to developing countries to support their long term economic, political, social and environmental development
What is military aid?
- consists of money, weapons, equipment of expertise given to a developing country to help them protect their borders, fight terrorism, and combat drug and people trafficking,
What is military action ?
- usually used as a last resort, after all other pathways have failed. It consists of two forms:
1) direct action - used to defend human rights through air strikes or troops on the ground etc…
2) indirect action - usually covert action by providing military and political assistance - military action may be taken to protect people from their own government, for example:
—> 1990, NATO used air strikes to support the Serbian provenance of Kosovo when the Serbian government began a crackdown against ethnic Albanian kosovans
What are trade embargoes?
- a government or international ban which restricts trade with a particular country
- a political tool used to encourage a country to change its policies or actions by hindering its economy, or by reducing its access to specific products like military supplies
- example includes :
—> 1980s, UN imposed an embargo on oil and military supplies to South Africa, in order to pressurise its government into ending the policy of Apartheid
How valid are interventions promoted by IGOs, NGOs and national governments?
IGOs
1) the world bank
- founded in 1944 with 213 member countries
- originated as a facilitator of post-war reconstruction and development
- now committed to the alleviation of poverty
- it’s a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world
- It’s a unique partnership to reduce poverty and support development.
NGOs:
1) Amnesty International
- Founded in 1961 in the UK
- It’s focused on the investigation and exposure of human rights abuses around the world
- Take some both governments and powerful bodies, such as major companies
- Today, it combines its considerable international reputation with the voices of grass-roots activists on the spot to ensure that the UDHR is fully implemented.
- It also provides education and training to that people are made aware of their rights.
How do some western governments use human rights violations to offer aid and trade governments, when national sovereignty is challenged?
- national sovereignty = a fundamental principle of international law, its the legal right to govern a physical territory
-In most situations the intervention of one sovereign state in the affairs of another is considered illegal under international law.
-Intervention breaches the principle of sovereignty, which is itself a crucial element of international law and the operation of the UN.
-Western governments do intervene, indirectly, in the affairs of other sovereign states by using economic levers to apply pressure. This is done in two main ways:
Offering aid to help economic and social development, but attaching conditions (‘strings attached’) that seek to improve some aspect of human rights, such as the education of women and girls, or strengthening the rights of a minority group.
-Foreign aid, or ‘Official Development Assistence’ (ODA) is money (grants or loans) or technical help/equipment given from a donor country to a recipient to help economic and social developement.
Negotiating trade agreements such as lower import tariffs or removing import quotas, but on the condition that human rights are improved.
Outline key facts from the Libya case study
- Gaddafi seized power in 1969 and ruled unchallenged for 42 years
- 2011, many Libyans began to demonstrate against his government, inspired by the ‘Arab springs’ that was sweeping across N.Africa
- the demonstrators were brutally repressed, with hundreds killed and injured. The UN urged Lydian government to meet its responsibilities to protect its citizens
- failed this, UN authorised use of force to protect the population
- bombing raids were undertaken by the British and French air forces
- by October 2011, Gaddafi was dead
❌ insufficient evidence to justify intervening
❌ after Gaddafi was killed Libyas government was very unstable
What are some different types of development aid ?
1) bilateral aid
- aid that is delivered on a one to one basis between a donor and recipient country
2) multilateral aid
- aid given by donor countries to international aid organisations such as the World Bank or Oxfam
- these groups distribute the aid to what they deem to be deserving causes
How successful have these been ?
(CS : HAITI)
- Christian aid has worked in Haiti since the 1980s
- Haiti’s HDI ranking is 163
- after the 2010 Haitian earthquake, 220000 Haitians died. Aid was given by:
— $13.5 billion was donated
— Oxfam focused on rebuilding sanitation systems and began to fund reconstruction and growth projects
Has development aid been universally successful when improving health and human rights?
2) gender equality
How have TNCs and supposed powers impacted the environmental and local culture?
2) Land grabs in Kenya
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How are human rights used as a justification for military interventions?
2) Libya conflict in 2011
-
Does a poor human rights record prevent military aid?
2) Colombia
How is ‘the war on terror’ used to justify military interventions?
- ISIS is a terrorise organisation with no respect for human rights and its produced a strategy to annihilating minority communities
- some military experts believe the only way ISIS is going to be beaten is by direct engagement on the ground, not only air strikes
- when 9/11 happened US gov used war on terror to track down those responsible
- issue of torture raises moral issues
