Stephen Harwood
intervention in another state - even non-military- would be a violation of that community ’ s sovereignty ( Beitz , 1980 : 389 ). Few would reasonably argue that peaceful foreign aid with a view to improving the condition of oppressed groups is morally impermissible .
Many philosophers similarly argue that state sovereignty does not have a greater moral status than human rights . Walzer relies on drawing an equivalence between the inherent right of a human being to autonomy ( in Kantian terms ) and the inherent right of a polity to sovereignty . Holzgrefe argues that this is a false analogy , because “ states are not simply unified agents with unified wills ” ( 2003 : 28 ). The government of a historical community may not represent its subjects effectively or honestly . Furthermore , Walzer ’ s ‘ horizontal ’ idea of a socially contracted community confuses nations with states ( Luban , 1980 : 168-9 ). It is doubtful whether an advocate of universal human rights could draw a meaningful moral distinction between a state stopping genocide within its
160 own borders and a foreign state intervening to stop one ( Tesón , 2003 : 103 ; 2014 : 64 ). Leaving aside the philosophical merits of sovereignty , Walzer could maintain that strong national communities do exist in reality , and any external liberal intervention would be opposed by a majority of citizens . This is too presumptuous , however . The international community could quite reasonably assess whether or not there is a ‘ fit ’ between a state and its citizens before intervening ( Caney , 2005 : 237 ). Furthermore , tolerating a state that abuses human rights in the name of sovereignty could lead to far worse consequences . Yet others do defend the principle of sovereignty on the practical grounds that breaking it would set a dangerous precedent . Kutz argues that allowing foreign states to intervene based on their own moral judgements is a “ recipe for a system … of super powers and dominated subaltern states ” ( 2014 : 233 ). It is true that national sovereignty is an essential protection for small nations against stronger neighbours ( Bellamy , 2004 : 219 ). The age of colonialism