How unrealistic ethics shape foreign policy

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http://atimes.com/atimes/World/WOR-02-270214.html



How unrealistic ethics shape foreign policy
By Gary Wasserman
Feb 27, '14

How do we judge our nation's foreign policies? Can citizens bring standards of right and wrong to international relations?

For followers of foreign affairs the debate lies between realists and liberals. Realists elevate the security of the state and the advancement of its interests as the unavoidable criteria for international action. Liberals more flexibly enhance security goals by promoting a peaceful global community through trade, cooperation and democracy.

Realism's claim to creating a just world lies in accepting the "reality" of an anarchy of conflicting, sovereign states, moderating actions and rejecting crusades. Liberals more ambitiously seek to build a world of peace through greater economic and social ties, and the spread of democracy.

Both approaches judge policies by their impact on their vision for international relations, ie. the security of independent states; the advancement of a democratic peace. Individuals' relations with other human beings, while acknowledged, is not central to their goals. Institutions act toward other institutions.