Global Ethics Corner: Military Intervention and Democracy?

Jul 10, 2009

Is it ever ethical to violate a democratic constitution? If the rationale for military intervention is to save democracy, does that make it legitimate?

Is military intervention legitimate if its rationale is to save democracy?

Democratically elected leaders on both right and left are moving to extend their terms. Voters are asked to change constitutions through referendums.

Some differentiate between democracy and legitimacy. Hence, "illiberal democracy" is when laws and institutions are changed through referendum in ways that constrain people's freedoms.

On June 28, in Honduras the military arrested President Zelaya and put him on a plane to Costa Rica. The military then turned power over to his constitutional successor.

Zelaya was arrested hours before a controversial "non-binding public consultation," a survey which would ask the public if they would support constitutional change, perhaps removing his one-term limit.

The Honduran Congress opposed Zelaya's survey, and the Supreme Court ruled the survey illegal.

However, the military ouster is also illegal under the Honduran Constitution, and world leaders called for Zelaya's reinstatement.

So both the arrest and the survey were illegal. Were either ethical?

What do you think? Is it ever legitimate to violate a democratic constitution?

By Christina Madden & William Vocke

To post a comment, go to the Global Ethics Corner slideshow.

You may also like

U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams tanks

FEB 6, 2023 Article

Ethics, Escalation, and Engagement in Ukraine and Beyond

Now that HIMAR and Patriot missiles as well as Leopard and Abrams tanks are on the way to Ukraine, NATO unity is at a high ...

FEB 28, 2022 Podcast

Russia Invades Ukraine: A Principled Response

Russia's invasion of Ukraine raises several ethical questions: Why did diplomacy fail? What does the invasion mean for the principle of sovereignty? Are sanctions an ...

Professor Joseph S. Nye, Jr., 2013. CREDIT: <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/chathamhouse/8719518195/">Chatham House</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(CC)</a>

FEB 17, 2021 Article

Measuring Morality in Foreign Policy: Joseph Nye’s Criteria

In this blog post, U.S. Global Engagement Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev reflects on an article in "The American Oxonian" by Joseph S Nye, Jr. ...