Self-Determination?

Question

Should a countries self-determination be respected even at the cost of refraining from intervening on behalf of some of its members who see their rights violated?

Answer 1

That's pretty vague. But generally, a country's sovereignty should be respected by other countries.

Answer 2

Moral relativism, or moral absolutism ?

Worshipers of Gog are the majority in the country of Sandystan. Sandystans laws relegate non Gog-worshipers to second class status. Gog worshipers can own them as slaves, rape their girls as they choose, kill them with impunity, do anything they want to them. They have no rights and can't complain.

A moral relativist would say that morality is dependent on the cultural beliefs of the person whose morals you're looking at. Since the Sandystanis don't think it's immoral to treat their minorities the way they do, that's their right. Sandystans right to self-determination is paramount, and we have no business interfering in how they treat their own people.

A moral absolutist, on the other hand, believes that some things are just inherently wrong, regardless of the beliefs of the person who does them. To him Sandystans right to self-determination should be secondary to the right of the minority not to be mistreated for their beliefs, and we have a duty to do what we can to make the majority change their ways.

Richard