Ignatieff's view on war

First off I would like to say that war sadly is a realistic thing in life. It is ideal to live in a world without war and just everyone is peaceful but that is why it only an ideal. It is how we pick our wars that matter. I was reading Michael Ignatieff: Idealism and the Challenge of the Lesser Evil by Michael Cotey Morgan and I do agree with some of his principles of when we should go into war.Michael Ignatieff is a liberal interventionalist and is a cosmopolitanist which means it is a specific way to think about responsibilty and ethnics.


First off let us discuss the moral issues that Ignatieff looks at when going to war. Even though we are infringing on others human rights by invading another country to fight Canadians are helping the people in that place to get rid of their problems and to be able to have a better life. Ignatieff states that we are universally attached to one another, so helping someone in Sudan and you are from Canada are encouraged in this view. We should look out for one another since overall humanity wants everyone to be good and taken care off.


Secondly Ignatiefff talks about the lesser of two evils or "the lesser evil". This is a good way to approach war because even though the war that you bring might have negative side effects you need to make sure that the problem you’re facing is worse than your effects. It is a smart way to approach war because then one can think about the long term situation that this war might give to a country and see if it is worth it.

Finally Ignatieff discusses peacekeeping. He brings up the negative examples of it when he talks about Bosnia and Rwanda. I agree peacekeeping now is slowly dying off and is losing its context. Just look at the UN and how the settled the genocide in Rwanda. It would be better off if we just all were allowed to look after one another and not being labelled as infringing on others rights just like he says but we still need the UN in my opinion.


Overall some of Ignatieff’s views in my opinion are realist. He knows that we cannot go into every war we see and that we must be sure we can go into those wars that we do choose. He does agree with human rights but can infringe upon them if he is certain that it will be better for them. This view to me is very much like a calculated risk view which means he is viewing the options he has. We are the world that we share with billions of others just like us. We need to protect them because they are like us. I think the best way to explain what Ignatieff wants to explain is what mama always used to say “ To treat others just like the way you would want to be treated” because by helping other people out they will help you out later on and remember you. So overall I agree with Ignatieff’s point of views.


Helpful links for more on this topic
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/1288230.stms
http://www.ppu.org.uk/genocide/g_bosnia.html
http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/154/26699.html