No nation should ever intervene in the affairs of another nation. Discuss.

No nation should ever intervene in the affairs of another nation. Discuss.

“No nation should ever intervene in the affairs of another nation.” From an objective perspective, the statement given above is considered one that is absolute and biased. This is because that there are other instances whereby nations should intervene in the affairs of another nation. In the subsequent parts of the essay, I will briefly elaborate on various scenarios whereby nations should and should not take part in the affairs of another nation, and why should nations not intervene in the affairs of another nation.

First of all, nations should intervene in the affairs of another nation, when the security or sovereignty of the intervening nation is at stake. It is every nation’s responsibility to be fully in charge of its own defence. When another aggressor nation has the idea of invading its own nation or increasing its own military power inconsiderately, one should stand up and retaliate, instead of sitting back and allowing the aggressor to do things at its own will. By intervening the aggressor’s motives and evil intentions, peace may be ensured, and the sovereignty of the intervening nation will be protected. One solution to intervene in the aggressor nation’s intentions is to impose economic sanctions on it. One such typical example is the ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) launch by North Korea in 1998. This has actually resulted in economic sanctions by Japan, since the missile trespasses Japan’s territories, in which Japan has regarded as a form of insult. However, critics may argue that such a move may force the aggressor nation to push forward its invasion plans for resources, as seen in World War II.

Secondly, nations should take part and be involved in the affairs of another nation, when the intervened nation, especially neighbouring ones, affect their neighbours environmentally, for example, pollution. As the saying goes, “pollution knows no boundaries”, since humans live together on Earth, all the more we should put in effort in protecting our own planet. By allowing neighbouring nations to pollute at their own will, the surrounding nations will suffer, especially those dependent on agriculture and tourism, as pollution affects these two aspects greatly. One example is the 1997 South East Asia Haze. About 70% of the tourism industry has been badly affected as a result, worsening the economies of tourism-based countries. One way to intervene such affairs of other nations is to provide aid and technologies, to curb pollution from spreading. And also, nations can also send educators across the borders to educate the neighbouring citizens about the harmful effects of pollution.

Thirdly, nations should be involved in the affairs of another nation, when the intervened nation is in trouble. By intervening in terms of sending financial aid and manpower to the troubled nations, relationships may be maintained, or even improved among countries in need and aiding countries. Moreover, from a more altruistic perspective, more lives will be saved since most of them will benefit from the help given. One instance is the 2004 South Asia Tsunami Attack. Most unaffected and well-to-do countries sent financial aid and machinery to badly-hit nations, such as Indonesia and Sri Lanka. By doing so, help has managed to arrive for those who have to live in fear and agony after the disaster.

However, there are cases whereby nations should not intervene in the affairs of another nation. Sometimes only nations know themselves what is right for the growth of their own nations. From their point of view, by intervening into the affairs of other nations, the involving nations are undermining the sovereignty of the nations whose matters are being intervened. This actually sours the relationships among these nations, which may lead to conflicts and unrest, affecting the lives of civilians.

One instance whereby nations should not intervene in the affairs of other nations is when the security or sovereignty of the intervening nation will be threatened if it intervenes. It is often the best not to take sides in sovereignty issues of other nations, because the involved nations may view those taking opposing sides as their enemies. As a result, relations among these countries will deteriorate, resulting in conflicts, or even social unrest, on a greater scale. One typical example will be the Israeli- Palestinian territorial issue. Most nations actually took a rather neutral stand over this, due to the fact that they do not want to be dragged into the conflict.

Another case whereby nations should not intervene in the affairs of another nation is education. Every nation has their own viewpoints and plans in educating people of its own country, according to each of their needs. By intervening in education systems of other countries, it may be seen as a form of insult by the intervened country, whose government may feel that the intervening nation has the impression that it is more “able” to guide the intervened country. As a result, souring of relationships among these countries occur. This will affect the economic and social ties among them in the long run as well.

Overall, nations can intervene in the affairs of other nations, based on the condition that the nations involved are treated with due respect. As the saying goes, “no man is an island”, diplomatic ties, to some extent, is essential to every country. By respecting other countries, one has already achieved the basic building block in establishing good relationships among countries. If every country is able to do so, peace will be ensured in the long run. However, as what I have mentioned above, there are instances where nations have to step in to take control of the affairs of other nations. Ironically, this will also ensure peace, only if the matters are being taken care of in a sensitive and careful manner. All in all, I disagree to the given statement to a large extent.