Ethics in International Relations | UPSC Mains: Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude PDF Download

Introduction

• Global ethics concerns ethical questions and dilemmas, whether for individuals or societies, that arise because of economic, technological, legal, political, social, and cultural globalization.
• Global ethics expand upon personal and professional ethics to include a more extensive set of principles applicable to groups of people or cultures. They can consist of such areas and debates as social justice, human rights, caring for the environment across national borders, social responsibility and accountability, and interdependence gained through encompassing a worldview.

Significance of International Ethics

1. International ethics offers insights into how nations and other entities treat other nations and its people. For example, the UN has been promoting various principles of friendly and cooperative and peace-related humanitarian international actions by all the member countries.
2. International ethics guides international relations and resolves international conflicts such as terrorism, territorial disputes, and refugee crises.
3. International ethics guides the international environmental efforts to fight against ozone depletion, global warming, etc These are commonly shared problems and require actions from many nations who are major contributors to forces generating such problems.
   • Common But Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR) principle in Paris Climate Deal towards fighting climate change results from ethics in international affairs.
4. Ethical principles also guide international Aids during natural disasters (eg: India's support during Nepal Earthquake) and Development Aid via IMF and World Bank.

➤ Ethical challenges in International Affairs

1. Rising Inequality due to globalization push by developed countries and international institutions.
2. Neo-colonialism in the international assistance name rather than aiming at uplifting poverty.
3. International Diplomacy is guided by narrow national interests rather than common global agendas. For example, Terrorism is still not defined internationally. There is a "concept of Good Terrorist and Bad Terrorist".
4. The developed countries' lack of responsibilities regarding Global Commons: Climate Change, Ozone layer depletion, Antarctic/Arctic ice melting.

➤ Conclusion

With Globalization, the world has become more interconnected, and unethical behaviour by one country affects the whole world, so ethical behaviour in international diplomacy is needed to address common problems like terrorism, climate change and removal of poverty and inequality and establish peace among world countries.