When realism and ethics meet

For all the talk of globalisation and the death of the nation-state, no-one seems to have told this to the people of southern Sudan.

The Sudanese government in a 2005 agreement to stop the country sliding into civil war promised a referendum that is expected to pass, not only that but as part of the 2005 deal the south will also “keep half of the country’s oil revenue”. However, “it now looks like Sudan’s President Bashir may walk away from the deal”. Not only would this lead the country to civil war but it would also cause the price of oil to rise, perhaps leading the world back into recession, or worse it could, if it becomes bad enough, help trigger a depression.

Worringly “the administration’s special envoy to Sudan, Major General Scott Gration, has been quoted as saying that the United States has ‘no leverage’ over Bashir’s regime”. The US is apparently considering “blocking debt relief from the IMF, supporting the ICC indictment of Bashir for genocide in Darfur, tightening the existing arms embargo on Sudan” in order for the referendum to go ahead peacefully. However “The ‘carrot’: if Bashir complies, getting the U.N. Security Council to issue a one-year renewable stay on the ICC case”.

The blogger, who was standing in for Dr Walt said that “we’ll need to figure out for ourselves what a realist with a conscience would think of this proposal”. Such talk has no place in International relations. Having said that, “the geography of oil in Sudan does not lend itself to zero-sum thinking by either side, as the main reserves are south but the pipelines and refineries are in the north”. So this might just be one of those rare moments when what it the right thing to do is also the ethical thing to do.

And if that doesn’t get results, the US and/or other powers could just not lend their support to the new southern nation leading to its collapse, meaning the north will keep the oil flowing. Then during the civil war ICC could make itself useful and indict Bashir and the south could declare independence unilaterally then getting support for the US and others, as needed.

Tags: America, morality, President Obama, realism