Take a minute to watch this video before reading ahead…
Now picture this:
You’re a young boy or girl, of around twelve years of age. You’re going about your daily business: school, home and family. Eating, drinking, sleeping. Even amidst rumours of civilian unrest and threat elsewhere in your country. Suddenly, just before you go to bed, you start hearing rattling down on the streets outside your bedroom window. You get up and try to get a look out of your window onto what is normally a dark street lit only by flickering streetlamps. However, instead of that familiar, reassuring golden flickering, you see men holding large weaponry and ammunition. They are throwing flares into buildings and are setting fire to your neighbours house. You see, then hear one smash through the window of your kitchen and you can hear the scream of your mother downstairs. Hurrying down the steps, you see a man, fully dressed in black with a mask over his head, physically assaulting your mother and shouting at her in a foreign language. You scream for help but to no avail. Panicking, you begin to search through your house for your father, he’s always there for you and your mother. You burst into the bathroom, only to see your father’s bloodied corpse laying on the floor.
I apologise if this offends or disgusts anyone, but the truth is horrible.
Far too many children are experiencing situations like this in our world. Far too many would even apply to just one child but the point still stands. Whilst Western Governments sit and argue over interventionism, millions of children are suffering, becoming traumatized and even, in many cases, killed. After the Iraq and Afghani wars, which were of course a mistake, the West has become far too hesitant in dealing with situations like this overseas. Occurring all over the world over the past 50 years, in Eastern Europe: Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia. Africa: Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Nigeria. Arab Nations: Syria, Lybia, Iran. The list goes on, and whilst the West debate over the liberal nature of intervention, what they don’t realise, is that interventionism is by far the lesser of two evils.
Liberal Interventionism is, by definition, “a foreign policy doctrine that argues that liberal states should intervene in other sovereign states in order to pursue liberal objectives. Such intervention can include both military invasion and humanitarian aid.” So the truly liberal thing to do, is not debate over the moral qualms and costs of intervention, but is to take immediate action and intervene.
On the 23rd and 24th May, 2016, the first ever World Humanitarian Summit has been called by the UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon. “The challenges and demands of the 21st century are global issues that require global solutions. The World Humanitarian Summit will set an agenda for change to make humanitarian action fit for the great challenges we face now and in the future.” This is the chance for Liberal Interventionism to flourish as a theory of foreign policy.
To get involved, click here to sign a petition to the UK Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening, who is attending the summit, asking her if she will champion the protection of children affected by conflict. Donations to War Child are helpful too but you don’t have to give money, that the Government should be giving anyway, to make a stand against the disgusting treatment of children in War Zones.
“War Child is a non-governmental organisation founded in the UK in 1993 which provides assistance to children in areas experiencing conflict and the aftermath of conflict. The establishment of War Child UK was soon followed by organisations in the Netherlands and Canada.” Their goals are
- The establishment and implementation of psychosocial programmes in which creative and sports activities are used to reinforce the psychological and social development and the welfare of the children;
- The establishment and implementation of creative and sports programmes that are aimed at uniting children who have been driven apart because of war, in order to contribute to a peaceful society;
- The creation of public awareness of the problems of children in (former) war zones and the generation of support for these children.”
Thank You for reading, and please follow this link and sign the War Child petition today.
Sam Wilson 