The United Nations Security Council and Walzer's ethical approach to humanitarian intervention from a legal perspective: a comparative study of northern Iraq (1991) and Kosovo (1999)

Abstract

Abstract The debate about the United Nations Security Council and Walzer’s ethical approach to humanitarian intervention from a legal perspective has been ongoing. The research upon which this study is based, centres its attention on the intervention of the United Nations (UN) in northern Iraq (1991) and Kosovo (1999). It investigates Walzer’s ethical approach to humanitarian intervention against the background of the existing international law prohibition on the use of force, and the principle of non-intervention in the domestic affairs of sovereign states. The promising trend of humanitarian intervention and the current emphasis on human security are also investigated in order to determine whether the intervention in Iraq and Kosovo fits this paradigm. While acknowledging the importance of states in international relations, this study queries the possibility of an ethical international strategy to solve internal problems or conflicts. This study makes a case for sustained efforts in the area of intervention on humanitarian and ethical grounds. It further argues for the adoption of an international organisation that should have a pre-emptive right to intervene in conflicts that affect their regions of influence. The study intends to provide a standard for conducting future interventions.