Unjust Wars and Humanity

Just and Unjust Wars

When can anyone claim that an intervention is just? If there is a war going on that catches the world's attention (for a short period of time), there are efforts being made from several institutions, such as the UN, countries, and people in general, to put an end on the war that is going on. The role of the UN has changed since it first was created. The institution was first created to prevent another world-war from happening. What was not expected was that there would be more civil wars going on then there would be of countries fighting other countries (which I will talk about another time). 

Who would have thought that countries that fought together as brothers and sisters against other countries are now busy fighting each other more? There are many views and opinions to when someone has to intervene, my opinion is that there has to be a limit. 

I think there are no such thing as just wars, but there has to be a just intervention because no one should watch any civilians get killed if we can do something about it. I believe we ALL can do something, one way or another; if it is to boycott the countries products, if it is through demonstrations, or passing on information to open the world's eyes. ANYTHING can contribute to something!

Respect of Sovereignty vs. the Respect of Humanity

What many do not know or tend to forget is that we live in a world that is built upon systems and agreements based on incidents in the past. Alliances have been made and countries are afraid to break them. Think of it this way: Imagine you did your friend a huge favor (favors that are out of the ordinary) and that friend said that they got your back if you ever end up in trouble after that. The time you get in trouble you go to your friend for help, and you know your friend, regardless of the situation, would not or should not break their promise. You somehow made an agreement to help each other out. This is complicated, but my point is that we live in a world based on favors and agreements. Regardless of anything, the respect for humanity should be our first priority, as Martin Luther King said, which I quoted in my first blog: 
“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”
That time is now! Do we have to wait for another agreement on the respect of humanity to be created for us to start RESPECTING humanity? I will never wait for that, I claim it every day in my life. How dare we ask people to respect us when we cannot respect humanity? Each individual can contribute to that agreement, we should not need any law to do that.

Humanitarian Intervention and Syria

For humanitarian intervention to be just, the basis of intervention has to be clear, which is that the intervention MUST be based on humanitarian principles. Unfortunately, since human beings cannot give a clear link between the moral and legal political arguments, we have a hard time finding any intervention to be just. Through this understanding, a western intervention in Syria for example could be morally justifiable to end the human suffering of civilians. According to what I have said so far, an intervention in Syria, or other countries that are suffering from the same faith, will not necessarily be legal. This is when I go back to Martin Luther King's quote, we have to do what is RIGHT not legal! Remember, human beings are members of ONE family.