CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY DAREN BOWYER JUST WAR DOCTRINE

intervention. Even the more national-interest criteria-formulations of Weinberger-
Powell and PDD 25 contain identifiably just war elements (especially reasonable chance
of success), though rather more heavily laced with the strategic caution we have noted
from Gray (see p9 and p191). What is necessary now is to consider the potential
difficulties that use of a just war framework might involve. Like the ICISS we should
perhaps devote greatest attention to Just Cause and Proper Authority, though Right
Intent will also be considered. In the next chapter, when considering issues of jus in
bello, due consideration will be given to issues of conduct of humanitarian
interventions, particularly with regard to the impact of technology on proportionality.
3.3.4.1 Just Cause in Humanitarian Intervention
The problem with humanitarianism as an all-embracing just cause is that it is neither
well defined nor as universally understood as many liberal-interventionists would insist.
(See, for example E H Carr’s realist critique of liberal moral universalism, discussed at
p7). Rob de Wijk notes:
In Asia, for the most part, authoritarian state and family structures dominate and
democracy and individual rights are secondary. Islamic countries mostly reject
the Western separation of church and state.
China not only continued to criticize the Western conception of democracy, but
also questioned the universality of the declaration of Human Rights. Consistent
with the Confucian civilization, the rulers in Beijing maintained that individual
human rights are subordinated to collective state rights. This means that in
China democracy will have a different meaning than in the West. China’s
criticism made clear that so-called universal values were not considered
universal by everyone. 118
De Wijk goes on to point out the inconsistencies that arise from the West’s mixing of
ideology and strategic interest in its foreign policies; inconsistencies that both confuse
and anger non-Western states:
Western governments declared genocide in Bosnia sufficient grounds for
intervention, but largely ignored genocide in Rwanda, Burundi, and Sudan; nonproliferation
is considered important for Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and India, but not
for Israel; Saddam Hussein’s annexation of Kuwait was not tolerated, but
Turkish partition of Cyprus, the Indian takeover of Goa and the Indonesian
seizure of East Timor were; China’s human rights policies were criticized, but
human rights abuses by allies in the Gulf region, such as Egypt and Saudi
Arabia, were tolerated. 119
201