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[–] crazyjuan 0 points 6 points (+6|-0) ago 

International relations aren't about morality, they're about the balance of power.

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[–] ShinyVoater 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

"Nations have no permanent friends or allies, they only have permanent interests." — Lord Palmerston

"War is merely the continuation of policy by other means." — Carl von Clausewitz

International relations are essentially psychopathic. War's become gauche, but the game hasn't changed because of it. The situation in Ukraine is perhaps the most obvious illustration: Russia had secured its strategic interest in Crimea by normal methods when the Soviet Union broke up, but didn't hesitate to invade when it thought that it might be in jeopardy and proceeded to stir up rebellion in the east of the Ukrainian mainland(refusing to annex the area), most likely looking to topple the regime or make it too toxic for NATO to consider expanding to; sanctions placed on Russia merely had the effect of making them double down on the policy.

On the other side, we have the Iran situation, in which a coalition of countries used sanctions to coerce Iran to the bargaining table over its nuclear program While it's not war, it's the same psychopathy: it's the common man on the streets who suffers the most from these policies, not the leaders who, as in Russia, can easily gain politically from sanctions being imposed over their policies.

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[–] WatDabney 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

Only insofar as it's sometimes a useful propaganda tool, or its application as a propaganda tool a useful threat.

There is no overarching morality in the exercise of international relations. It's pure, unalloyed power, wholly unconstrained by morality.

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[–] Porcupine_Ninja 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

IR scholar here. That's a way bigger question than it seems, so I'll try to be succinct...

There's a famous quote by Charles De Gaulle, "France has no friends, only interests."

The international system is anarchy, and there's no morality to be had. When interests are at stake, you will find even the most seemingly benevolent states acting in a way that would be perceived as immoral.

So why do we see "moral" behavior sometimes? Like taking in refugees, or campaigning for human rights? Because it advances the systems that maintain the status quo.

States, particularly Western ones, want to advance ideology that entrenches their values and ensures protection of the interests that are important to them. In times when those interests must be had, consequences be damned, you see these nations engaging in all sorts of behavior that goes against their traditional values.

So no, there is no morality, there is only anarchy. Any scholar would also tell you that "international law" isn't really law, it's selectively enforced and applied, and its strength is rooted entirely in the willingness of powerful nations to enforce it (which they do only at their convenience).

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[–] ex-redd 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

No

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[–] 2431651? 1 point 0 points (+1|-1) ago 

Not when the people in charge of it are corporate shills.

[–] [deleted] 1 point 0 points (+1|-1) ago 

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[–] sparkybear 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

Morality of what's okay across a country of millions requires a different thought process over what's okay for your personal interactions