Mayhem. Absolutely mayhem. Just when we thought the destruction and barbaric killing of thousands of Syrians in the Ghouta chemical attack wasn’t enough, we were proven wrong. Men and women who have dedicated years to save the lives of others are now being threatened to leave Syria as hospitals have been destroyed or wrecked in attacks. There is no question at this stage that Syria is at ‘breaking point’ and yet it appears that this horrific situation is simply being dismissed as another story on top of all the other 'unfortunate' current affairs happening during this period. It makes me think how an international community can allow this evil and suffering to happen.
It has been confirmed by the Council on Foreign Relations that over 15,000 doctors have left Syria due to the conflict and threat of imprisonment if they continue to aid causalities. In turn, there are shocking injuries going unattended; women giving birth without the support of a medical team; people who are undergoing life-saving surgery and amputations without anaesthetic; and victims of sexual violence having nowhere to turn to.
David Cameron has linked the devastations happening in Syria to the Holocaust.
Edmund Burke famous quote: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” is a perfect example which highlights Britain's failure to take action and support Syrians. This is why evil occurs in today’s society. The signatories to the letter in The Lancet say it is "arguably one of the world's worst humanitarian crises since the end of the Cold War".
Don’t get me wrong, I am completely aware of the issues and necessary procedures that we must put to attention before finalising on an idea that will impact the country as a whole but we should surely start considering the two primary guidelines of the Just War Theory. This theory outlines ‘when is it right to fight?’ and ‘how should a war be fought?’ Just war is the standard method of assessing the morality of war. This is a basic moral guide for religious believers today.
Jeremy Bentham developed a theory that states an act should be done for ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’. Therefore, an act will be moral if it benefits the majority rather than the minority. As Christians it is our moral duty to “not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”. In other words, if we decide as a country to intervene and help Syrians, we should ensure that there will be a reasonable proportion between the injustice being fought and the suffering inflicted by war. This includes the use of weapons that must be proportional to the threat and only minimum force should be used and civilians should be protected as far as possible.
It has been confirmed by the Council on Foreign Relations that over 15,000 doctors have left Syria due to the conflict and threat of imprisonment if they continue to aid causalities. In turn, there are shocking injuries going unattended; women giving birth without the support of a medical team; people who are undergoing life-saving surgery and amputations without anaesthetic; and victims of sexual violence having nowhere to turn to.
David Cameron has linked the devastations happening in Syria to the Holocaust.
Edmund Burke famous quote: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” is a perfect example which highlights Britain's failure to take action and support Syrians. This is why evil occurs in today’s society. The signatories to the letter in The Lancet say it is "arguably one of the world's worst humanitarian crises since the end of the Cold War".
Don’t get me wrong, I am completely aware of the issues and necessary procedures that we must put to attention before finalising on an idea that will impact the country as a whole but we should surely start considering the two primary guidelines of the Just War Theory. This theory outlines ‘when is it right to fight?’ and ‘how should a war be fought?’ Just war is the standard method of assessing the morality of war. This is a basic moral guide for religious believers today.
Jeremy Bentham developed a theory that states an act should be done for ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’. Therefore, an act will be moral if it benefits the majority rather than the minority. As Christians it is our moral duty to “not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”. In other words, if we decide as a country to intervene and help Syrians, we should ensure that there will be a reasonable proportion between the injustice being fought and the suffering inflicted by war. This includes the use of weapons that must be proportional to the threat and only minimum force should be used and civilians should be protected as far as possible.
Studying RE at A level has really helped me to see life in a new prospective. Honestly, I love it. It is not just because it allows me to gain a deeper understanding of my faith, the creation of laws or taking part in ethical and philosophical debates but it enables me to grow with the changing nature of religion in Britain today which could impact the attitude of millions, urging us to help those who need it most.
Picture from BBC News website - used for educational purposes
One of the consequences however of initiating war is that the current refugee crisis will intensify. The numbers of those in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon is staggering and will get worse if war is declared. And this is just before winter starts. Further, if people are displaced, it is hard for them to return to their homes and simply restart their lives. This is not to say that war is not justified, but that all the impact needs to be assessed.
ReplyDeleteI agree, that is why assessing all the possibilities or in this case, using the Hedonic Calculus method to find out whether the end result will be successful or not.
DeleteI agree with the gentleman above. Invoking Jeremy Bentham is useful only insofar as the consequences can be measured- however, the full extent, duration and intensity of the pleasure/pain outcome is extremely difficult to measure. Indeed, Iraq and Afghanistan are cases in point.
ReplyDeleteAs for an ethics of love potentially supporting foreign military intervention, I find this a difficult position to push given the highly dubious motives of our leaders. It does seem as though our leaders have anything but an ethics of love in their foreign policy-their track record in these matters speaks for itself. Economic and political power is the desired outcome in all Western adventures abroad, it seems to me.
In short, I support full humanitarian support for all those who are suffering as a result of violence and brutality. However, I think it is difficult to justify foreign military intervention in this, and other similar cases.
Mike O'Connell, RS and Philosophy teacher.
I partially agree, however if taking action means achieving some sort of positive outcome for the majority, then this could be considered justifiable. I have faith in our leaders that they will make the right choice when it comes to it.
DeleteA very mature and brave topic to attempt! Well done. I blogged about it myself, although in a slightly different context: http://talkingdonkeyre.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/syria-we-cannot-just-stand-by.html
ReplyDeleteI think it is a very difficult topic! I'm glad A-Level study has helped you tackle these problems head on in your thinking. As you say, it is hard to work out the best thing to do when faced with such a humanitarian issue.
Thank you
DeleteI particularly enjoy the connections with our A-level work and using topics that are relevant is very effective. :) E.D
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading and understanding your views on the sunject, I was particularly intrigued by your links to A-Level study. Well done
ReplyDeleteE.A.C
Thank you
DeleteAn interesting topic that shows an understanding of the different perspectives in such a difficult situation. Is it right to see people in this situation and not do anything about it? Is it really other countries responsibility to interfere and bring with it further violence. There is no perfect solution!
ReplyDeleteThere's no doubt that interfering will create further complications; however, long term this may result to be something positive. If getting involved means the majority will benefit then this is a problem that has been solved.
ReplyDeleteI thorougly enjoyed how you linked a current topic to what has been taught in Alevek religious studies.
ReplyDeleteS.O