Tag Archives: humanitarian interventions

Many years ago I posted an essay on this site that challenged the sharp distinction many libertarians make between military interventions based solely on a state’s obligation to defend its citizens against aggression and “humanitarian” interventions, i.e. those  intended to defend non-citizens in other states (think Rwanda). While a state is morally obligated to defend its own citizens against unprovoked attack, aggression against other states may still implicate our rights. Accordingly, depending on the circumstances a humanitarian intervention may still be morally permissible on libertarian grounds.

The current protests in Iran seem to present such a case, and thus I believe it timely to re-post my 2017 essay. Comments are of course always welcome.