International morality is a topic which philosophers, historians and political thinkers have discussed since ancient times. Human history has been bloody – marked by wars, invasions, massacres and plunder. Wars are brutal and ugly, often horrid spectacles of barbaric slaughter. They have been central to human history and wrought forciblesocial changeinthe vanquished countries. They have movedhumaneandthoughtful scholarsfromancienttimesintoreflectionsaboutthemoralitywhich ideally should guide the relations between nations.
International morality as a subject falls in the domain of international relations (IR), which is a study of the forces which shape the conduct of nations towards one another. International relations can be studied as part of history or more theoretically as part of political science. Many writers combine the theoretical and historical approaches in their studies. Insights from the discipline of Ethics are also used in studying international morality.
International relationscan be studied fromthree points of view.One perspective focuses on simple factual aspects – how nations actually behave towards one another and the reasons or motivations behind their behaviour. Secondly, one may study international relations normatively to prescribe desirable kinds of behaviour to nations. Finally, international relations can be studied for advising governments on how best to conduct foreign relations in national interests. In one way or another, moral aspects enter into these different approaches. Further, in all these studies, writers use various theories.
Topics Covered in this Chapter
In this chapter, we will discuss the following topics:
¤ Theories of international relations and their relation to international morality
¤ Ingredients of international morality
¤ Morality in relation to war
¤ Moral aspects of some major international problems
¤ Moral dimensions of international economic problems
¤ Moral roots of India’s foreign policy