A Few Words on Non-Intervention
Encyclopedia
A Few Words on Non-Intervention is a short essay by the philosopher, politician and economist, John Stuart Mill
. It was written in 1859 in the context of the construction of the Suez Canal
and the recent Crimean War
. The essay addresses the question of under what circumstances states should be allowed to intervene in the sovereign affairs of another country.
According to Mill's opinion (in 1859) barbarous peoples were found in Algeria
and India
where the French and British armies had been involved. Mill's justification of intervention was overt imperialism
. First, he argued that with "barbarians" there is no hope for "reciprocity", an international fundamental. Second, barbarians are apt to benefit from civilized intervenors, said Mill, citing Roman conquests of Gaul
, Spain
, Numidia
and Dacia
. Barbarians,
While seeming wildly out of kilter with modern discourse, a similar approach can be found in theory on intervention in failed state
s. Of more widespread relevance, Mill discussed the position between "civilized peoples".
Mill brushes over the situation of intervening on the side of governments who are trying to oppress an uprising of their own, saying "government which needs foreign support to enforce obedience from its own citizens, is one which ought not to exist". In the case however of a civil war, where both parties seem at fault, Mill argues that third parties are entitled to demand that the conflicts shall cease. He then moves to the more contentious situation of wars for liberation.
has made reference to Mill's essay in a number of his books, including Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy (2006), Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance (2002) and Peering into the Abyss of the Future (2002). The first two seem to be unfortunate text duplications (with a similar footnote), which castigates Mill's discussion of dealing with "barbarians". Chomsky writes that even "individuals of the highest intelligence and moral integrity succumb to the pathology" of taking exception to universal human standards.
Libertarian
historian Joseph R. Stromberg
states that J.S. Mill's imperialistic views are incompatible with his alleged liberalism
, since maintenance of the British Empire
would require government repression .
John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher, economist and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of...
. It was written in 1859 in the context of the construction of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
and the recent Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. The essay addresses the question of under what circumstances states should be allowed to intervene in the sovereign affairs of another country.
Content
Mill's argument begins with a discussion of Britain's place in the world. Writing for a contemporary British middle and upper class audience, Mill gives an overview of some world events that were important for that particular time. The main arguments for and against non-intervention are found in the second half of the script."There seems to be no little need that the whole doctrine of non-interference with foreign nations should be reconsidered, if it can be said to have as yet been considered as a really moral question at all... To go to war for an idea, if the war is aggressive, not defensive, is as criminal as to go to war for territory or revenue; for it is as little justifiable to force our ideas on other people, as to compel them to submit to our will in any other respect. But there assuredly are cases in which it is allowable to go to war, without having been ourselves attacked, or threatened with attack; and it is very important that nations should make up their minds in time, as to what these cases are... To suppose that the same international customs, and the same rules of international morality, can obtain between one civilized nation and another, and between civilized nations and barbarians, is a grave error..."
According to Mill's opinion (in 1859) barbarous peoples were found in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
where the French and British armies had been involved. Mill's justification of intervention was overt imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
. First, he argued that with "barbarians" there is no hope for "reciprocity", an international fundamental. Second, barbarians are apt to benefit from civilized intervenors, said Mill, citing Roman conquests of Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Numidia
Numidia
Numidia was an ancient Berber kingdom in part of present-day Eastern Algeria and Western Tunisia in North Africa. It is known today as the Chawi-land, the land of the Chawi people , the direct descendants of the historical Numidians or the Massyles The kingdom began as a sovereign state and later...
and Dacia
Dacia
In ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians or Getae as they were known by the Greeks—the branch of the Thracians north of the Haemus range...
. Barbarians,
"have no rights as a nation, except a right to such treatment as may, at the earliest possible period, fit them for becoming one. The only moral laws for the relation between a civilized and a barbarous government, are the universal rules of morality between man and man."
While seeming wildly out of kilter with modern discourse, a similar approach can be found in theory on intervention in failed state
Failed state
The term failed state is often used by political commentators and journalists to describe a state perceived as having failed at some of the basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government...
s. Of more widespread relevance, Mill discussed the position between "civilized peoples".
"The disputed question is that of interfering in the regulation of another country’s internal concerns; the question whether a nation is justified in taking part, on either side, in the civil wars or party contests of another: and chiefly, whether it may justifiably aid the people of another country in struggling for liberty; or may impose on a country any particular government or institutions, either as being best for the country itself, or as necessary for the security of its neighbours.
Mill brushes over the situation of intervening on the side of governments who are trying to oppress an uprising of their own, saying "government which needs foreign support to enforce obedience from its own citizens, is one which ought not to exist". In the case however of a civil war, where both parties seem at fault, Mill argues that third parties are entitled to demand that the conflicts shall cease. He then moves to the more contentious situation of wars for liberation.
"When the contest is only with native rulers, and with such native strength as those rulers can enlist in their defence, the answer I should give to the question of the legitimacy of intervention is, as a general rule, No. The reason is, that there can seldom be anything approaching to assurance that intervention, even if successful, would be for the good of the people themselves. The only test possessing any real value, of a people’s having become fit for popular institutions, is that they, or a sufficient portion of them to prevail in the contest, are willing to brave labour and danger for their liberation. I know all that may be said, I know it may be urged that the virtues of freemen cannot be learnt in the school of slavery, and that if a people are not fit for freedom, to have any chance of becoming so they must first be free. And this would be conclusive, if the intervention recommended would really give them freedom. But the evil is, that if they have not sufficient love of liberty to be able to wrest it from merely domestic oppressors, the liberty which is bestowed on them by other hands than their own, will have nothing real, nothing permanent. No people ever was and remained free, but because it was determined to be so..."
Responses
Noam ChomskyNoam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
has made reference to Mill's essay in a number of his books, including Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy (2006), Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance (2002) and Peering into the Abyss of the Future (2002). The first two seem to be unfortunate text duplications (with a similar footnote), which castigates Mill's discussion of dealing with "barbarians". Chomsky writes that even "individuals of the highest intelligence and moral integrity succumb to the pathology" of taking exception to universal human standards.
Libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
historian Joseph R. Stromberg
Joseph R. Stromberg
Joseph R. Stromberg is an independent historian and former columnist for antiwar.com and LewRockwell.com. His research interests include U.S. foreign policy, the War on Terrorism, the Antifederalists , and an on-going critique of the Unitary Executive theory of the U.S. Presidency...
states that J.S. Mill's imperialistic views are incompatible with his alleged liberalism
Classical liberalism
Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets....
, since maintenance of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
would require government repression .
External links
- John Stuart MillJohn Stuart MillJohn Stuart Mill was a British philosopher, economist and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of...
(1859) A Few Words on Non-Intervention at the Online Library of Liberty - http://www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/forep/forep008.pdf
- Cristian Ducu (2007) Argumentele lui John Stuart Mill pentru principiul non-interventiei in "Revista de Filosofie Analitica", vol. 1, 2007, nr. 1, pp. 109–126. An earlier version in Valentin Muresan & Cristian Ducu (ed.), Proceedings of the International Conference "John Stuart Mill. 1806-2006", University of Bucharest, November 3-4, 2006; University of Bucharest Press, Bucharest, 2007.