Is it Wrong to Intervene in a Civil War -- like Libya's, for Example?

The U.S. military could overthrow Libyan dictator Gaddafi on pretty short notice, and none of us would feel bad seeing the despot go, but is it right for us to involve American troops in a foreign country's civil war?

The U.S. military is reportedly ready to intervene in Libya, but not planning to do so. [Source: Babak Dehghanpisheh. Libyan Journalists Join the Revolution, Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:51:35 -0400. Downloaded from: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-02-28/libyan-journalists-join-the-revolution/]. As Libya falls into civil war, we have to wonder whether it would be right for the U.S. to intervene.

One of the cardinal principles of international politics is respect for other countries' sovereignty. There is no "world government." Each country is, generally speaking, allowed to run its own affairs. And invading other countries are not an acceptable part of those ordinary affairs.

Sending your military into another country is clearly an act of war. What happens to be going on inside of the other country (e.g., a civil war) does not change that fact. It is difficult to articulate why entering a war-torn country is more defensible than entering a peaceful country. People will argue, of course, that saving human lives justifies interference in a civil war; but that interference could just as easily increase the bloodshed as diminish it.

A country that enters another nation's civil war is exercising a degree of control over that country, and using military means to potentially change the future government of that nation. It is like a conquering army. Imagine how differently Americans would feel about their government if France had intervened in the Civil War and determined the outcome of that conflict. At some level it might be best to let citizens of a country solve their own problems, even if they choose to do so violently.

President Barack Obama will either send troops into Libya or not, but first he must wrestle with the difficult ethical issue of whether it is right to get U.S. military forces involved in another country's civil war.

Sources

Babak Dehghanpisheh. Libyan Journalists Join the Revolution, Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:51:35 -0400. Downloaded from: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-02-28/libyan-journalists-join-the-revolution/