Ethics in IR: Morality vs Realpolitik
Should nations act based on Moral principles or purely based on National Interest (Power)?
Ethics in IR: Morality vs Realpolitik
| Cue Words | Notes |
|---|---|
| Definition & Core Question | - Morality vs Realpolitik: evaluating whether nation-states should act based on moral principles or raw national interest and power |
| Realism (Machiavelli & Morgenthau) | - International system is anarchic; state survival, sovereignty, and strategic national interest are the supreme moral imperatives |
| Idealism & Universalism (Kant) | - Global peace through international law, multilateral governance institutions, and universal human rights values |
| India's Foreign Policy Synthesis | - Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The World is One Family) & Panchsheel Principles of peaceful coexistence - Vaccine Maitri Exemplar: distributing essential COVID-19 vaccines to vulnerable developing nations as global moral duty |
| High-Yield Ethics Data & Exemplars | - UN Charter Article 2 (sovereign equality & non-intervention) - Paris Climate Agreement Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) climate justice principle |
| Conclusion | - Success lies in moving from global anarchy to **"Ethics-Saturated and Cooperation-Verified International Relations"** |
| Real-World Precedent | - India's abstention pattern at the UN on the Russia-Ukraine conflict resolutions (2022 onward), justified officially as pursuing dialogue and "enlightened self-interest" (Panchsheel-based non-alignment) rather than pure realism or pure idealism, is a frequently cited current exemplar of India attempting to synthesize moral positioning with strategic autonomy |