At the international level, the bilateral relations between most nations are governed on the policy of…

Question

At the international level, the bilateral relations between most nations are governed on the policy of promoting one's own national interest without any regard for the interest of other nations. This leads to conflicts and tensions between the nations. How can ethical consideration help resolve such tensions? Discuss with specific examples.

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

Ethical considerations such as empathy, fairness, restraint and keeping one's word turn zero-sum rivalry into negotiable difference, making ethics the enlightened form of national interest. India's acceptance of the 2014 maritime boundary award favouring Bangladesh, followed by the 2015 Land Boundary Agreement, built lasting goodwill.

**Introduction**

Hans Morgenthau defined foreign policy as "interest defined in terms of power", and its purely selfish pursuit makes every dispute zero-sum. Ethics asks nations to pursue interest with justice, empathy and restraint, turning rivalry into negotiable difference.

**Ethical Principles That Defuse Tensions**

SKETCH: venn | Enlightened National Interest
a: National interest
b: Global good
overlap: Enlightened interest

1. **Empathy and respect**: The Panchsheel principles of 1954 placed mutual respect for sovereignty and non-interference at the centre of diplomacy.
2. **Justice and fairness**: Common But Differentiated Responsibilities in the UNFCCC (1992) made climate cooperation possible between rich and poor nations.
3. **Restraint**: Kant's imperative to treat others as ends applies to nations, and India's No First Use doctrine (2003) keeps crises from spiralling.
4. **Keeping one's word**: India accepted the 2014 arbitral award on its maritime boundary with Bangladesh though it largely favoured Dhaka, building lasting goodwill.

**Specific Examples of Ethics Resolving Tensions**

1. **Generosity over grievance**: India launched Operation Dost after the 2023 Turkey earthquake despite Ankara's stance on Kashmir, and Vaccine Maitri (2021) countered **Vaccine Nationalism**, the hoarding of global goods.
2. **Give and take**: The Land Boundary Agreement of 2015 peacefully exchanged enclaves with Bangladesh and settled a dispute of four decades.
3. **Reconciliation**: Willy Brandt's kneeling in Warsaw (1970) and South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission showed that acknowledging past wrongs heals enmity.

**Conclusion**

Ethics is the enlightened form of national interest, because a just and truthful nation earns trust, the cheapest form of security. India's G20 theme of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (2023) shows ethical diplomacy is both principled and practical.

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