cce blog

intervention and sovereignty

I recently listened to a This American Life episode featuring interviews with Iraqi exiles and the stories of torture and persecution under Saddam's regime were pretty gruesome. So recently I've found myself thinking a lot about the role of the West in preserving human rights and "liberating" oppressed people. I mean, there is a humanitarian case that can be argued for invading Iraq, pointing out that Saddam's is a repressive totalitarian regime that should be deposed anyway. Just as the West stepped in and intervened in East Timor and Bosnia, and didn't intervene in, say, Cambodia under Pol Pot, many pro-war types argue that Iraq should be next. But when is it right to intervene, and when is it better (or safer) to let alone? This article in the Guardian has the best analysis I've read on this issue. Check it out.