Disclaimer : Views expressed in this blog are mine
Part I : Defining the problem
This week I am reading a piece by a leading scholar on Ethics in International Affairs , Terry Nardin . It is titled "The Moral Basis of Humanitarian Intervention" . It's an awesome work that can serve as a preliminary standard with which we decide on whether humanitarian intervention is required or not before we base our policy prescriptions on various other political , social and moral factors. In this article I aim to use Terry's piece as a kind of rationalist model to decide if India should intervene in the Sri Lankan ethnic crisis at this point in time as demanded by various political parties in Tamlinadu.
Before we embark on this exercise , let us first try to find out what the principle impediment to intervention could be . This is quite often cited by Sri Lanka and other political actors in the region. Sovereignity . The norm of soverignity is the the force that justifies non-intervention. Whatever happens inside Sri Lankan borders is an internal matter . Sovereignity is enshrined in the UN Charter . But so is the protection of human rights ? Here comes the providential question : Should India intervene to protect the rights of the displaced and oppresed Tamils or should it respect Sri Lanka's sovereignity and stand back idly ?
The above question has been troubling me ever since the Honorable Chief Minister Karunanidhi issued an ultimatum to the Congress Government by asking his MPs holding cabinet ministership at the centre to send post-dated resignations signaling the first step before withdrawing support for the government at the centre . It must be borne in mind that Tamilnadu has 40 members in parliament all of whom belong to the DMK party headed by Chief Minister Karunanidhi . The support of the Dravidian party is therefore necessary at least until the forthcoming elections .
As to why CM Karunanidhi supports the Tamil issue is quite obvious . He maybe a genuine sympathiser of the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka . But I suspect there could be something more.The Tamil identity has been one of the prime movers of the Dravidian movement . With the election year around , it does make sense to rally the people around a nationalist cause , isn't it ? It is simple , but powerful politics . A Tamil identity is something that every man , womand and child born in Tamlinadu shares . By portraying himself and his party as supporters of the Tamil cause , the veteran has played a perfect ploy . Vijayakanth , Vaiko and Jaya are not far behind !
Why am I talking about all this ? To build the context that the true intent of the politicians in Tamilndau does not seem to be to rally behind the Tamils at this moment of suffering for them . It seems to be far from just that . A gross politicization that has got no relevance to humanitarian consideration . But the garb of this politicization is humanitarian intervention to save the plight of the Tamils .This is what is putting the Indian centre at a fix .
How do we explain the Indian responses in this context ? Are they right ? Coming up in Part-II .. Stay tuned
Part I : Defining the problem
This week I am reading a piece by a leading scholar on Ethics in International Affairs , Terry Nardin . It is titled "The Moral Basis of Humanitarian Intervention" . It's an awesome work that can serve as a preliminary standard with which we decide on whether humanitarian intervention is required or not before we base our policy prescriptions on various other political , social and moral factors. In this article I aim to use Terry's piece as a kind of rationalist model to decide if India should intervene in the Sri Lankan ethnic crisis at this point in time as demanded by various political parties in Tamlinadu.
Before we embark on this exercise , let us first try to find out what the principle impediment to intervention could be . This is quite often cited by Sri Lanka and other political actors in the region. Sovereignity . The norm of soverignity is the the force that justifies non-intervention. Whatever happens inside Sri Lankan borders is an internal matter . Sovereignity is enshrined in the UN Charter . But so is the protection of human rights ? Here comes the providential question : Should India intervene to protect the rights of the displaced and oppresed Tamils or should it respect Sri Lanka's sovereignity and stand back idly ?
The above question has been troubling me ever since the Honorable Chief Minister Karunanidhi issued an ultimatum to the Congress Government by asking his MPs holding cabinet ministership at the centre to send post-dated resignations signaling the first step before withdrawing support for the government at the centre . It must be borne in mind that Tamilnadu has 40 members in parliament all of whom belong to the DMK party headed by Chief Minister Karunanidhi . The support of the Dravidian party is therefore necessary at least until the forthcoming elections .
As to why CM Karunanidhi supports the Tamil issue is quite obvious . He maybe a genuine sympathiser of the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka . But I suspect there could be something more.The Tamil identity has been one of the prime movers of the Dravidian movement . With the election year around , it does make sense to rally the people around a nationalist cause , isn't it ? It is simple , but powerful politics . A Tamil identity is something that every man , womand and child born in Tamlinadu shares . By portraying himself and his party as supporters of the Tamil cause , the veteran has played a perfect ploy . Vijayakanth , Vaiko and Jaya are not far behind !
Why am I talking about all this ? To build the context that the true intent of the politicians in Tamilndau does not seem to be to rally behind the Tamils at this moment of suffering for them . It seems to be far from just that . A gross politicization that has got no relevance to humanitarian consideration . But the garb of this politicization is humanitarian intervention to save the plight of the Tamils .This is what is putting the Indian centre at a fix .
How do we explain the Indian responses in this context ? Are they right ? Coming up in Part-II .. Stay tuned
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