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Geopolitical Intervention in Human Rights (Edexcel A Level Geography)

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Geopolitical Interventions in Human Rights

  • Human rights violations can lead to interventions by western governments, IGOs and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)

  • Geopolitical interventions aim to address human development and human rights issues by providing:

    • Development aid

    • Trade embargoes

    • Military aid

    • Indirect and direct military action

  • Some of these interventions are high risk because they involve the use of force

Types of geopolitical interventions

Geopolitical intervention

What is it?

Example

Development aid

  • Financial aid given to developing countries to promote human rights

  • Sometimes called official development assistance (ODA)

  • It has two main delivery routes 

    • bilateral aid

    • multilateral aid

  • In 1970, the UN General Assembly asked wealthy countries to voluntarily commit 0.7% of their Gross National Income (GNI) each year to development aid

  • Most developed countries fail this target - only 6 out of the top 20 donor countries achieved it in 2015

  • In 2015, the UK government made this commitment a legal requirement, becoming the first G7 country to do so

  • The UK announced a £100 million 3 year package of ODA in 2022

  • Designed to support the most vulnerable parts of the Ukrainian economy and reduce Ukraine’s reliance on gas imports

  • Ukraine is heavily reliant on energy imports such as coal and gas, which Russia exploits

  • ODA funds have also been directed to those countries taking in large amounts of Ukrainian refugees eg. Moldova

Trade embargo

  • A trade embargo is a ban that restricts trade with a particular country 

  • It encourages a country to change its actions as the country will find it more difficult to sell its goods, resulting in a lower GDP

  • They are often used in response to perceived threats to international security or for countries with a record of human rights abuses

  • Other trade interventions include increasing taxes and quotas on imported goods from the country

  • After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU imposed an arms embargo

  • The sanctions prohibited any involvement in the supply of arms and services to Russian military  

  • It also included technology which might contribute to Russia’s military 

  • These sanctions aim to encourage Russia to cease actions against Ukraine, which are threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine

Military aid

  • Countries provide money, weapons or military training to help stop human rights abuses

    • E.g. to support a suppressed group overthrow a dictator or to fight terrorism

  • Military aid is also sometimes given to opposition groups fighting for democracy against an authoritarian government

  • The U.S. announced several rounds of military aid to Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022

  • One aid package, worth $775 million, includes additional advanced rocket systems, artillery systems and ammunition, drones, vehicles, and anti-armour weapons

  • The military aid aims to help Ukraine defend itself over the long term 

Indirect military action

  • Military equipment / advisers are provided by one country to another country or a military group within a country

  • Usually done in support of one side of a civil conflict

  • For example, in 2017, British army personnel trained Nigerian forces to help them improve the country’s security and fight the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram

Direct military action

  • Armed forces from one country engage in conflict in another country

  • Often done as part of a coalition – several countries acting together

  • For example, in 2003, the USA and UK were among a coalition of countries who sent troops and carried out airstrikes in Iraq against the government of Saddam Hussein

Examiner Tips and Tricks

‘Intervention’ is a broad term. Make sure you specify the type of intervention you are writing about in your exam answer eg. direct military action, development aid. Back these up with a range of examples, rather than a one or two long case studies.

Interventions by International Governmental Organisations

  • To protect human rights or promote development, geopolitical interventions can also come from: 

    • IGOs, such as the UN, EU, World Bank and WTO 

    • NGOs, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch

    • Individual countries

  • IGO interventions (political and economic) can include:

    • Putting conditions on aid or withholding aid

    • Imposing trade embargoes

    • Expressing disapproval of human right abuses

  • Human rights NGOs aim for peaceful interventions by:

    • Monitoring the status of human rights globally

    • Campaigning for the protection of human rights

    • Petitioning and lobbying of authoritarian governments e.g. to free protestors imprisoned unfairly

    • Encouraging IGOs and governments to intervene in human rights abuses

  • It can be difficult for IGOs, NGOs and nationals government to reach a consensus about the level of intervention to use as: 

    • The organisations or countries involved have different aims e.g. increasing global influence or protecting human rights

    • The superpower countries could be seeking to assist and control less-powerful countries for political and economic purposes

    • The UN has no military force, relying on member states to provide and fund it

    • The intervention could be for the intervening country’s self-interest e.g. oil reserves

    • The risks the intervention could lead to a wider conflict

    • Cutting off development aid can reduce a country’s ability to support its citizens’ basic needs

    • Military action can lead to the injury or death of civilians

Condemnation of Human Rights Violations

  • Western governments, such as the USA, condemn human rights violations

  • They try to improve aspects of human rights in other states by:

    • Offering aid with attached conditions e.g. improve the education of women and girls

    • Negotiating trade agreements e.g lowering import tariffs 

    • Military intervention for the most serious breaches of human rights

  • These interventions show a disregard for national sovereignty because one nation is interfering with the governance of another

  • When governments abuse citizens’ human rights (e.g. genocide, torture and imprisonment), it highlights the limitations of national sovereignty

    • Nations that violate the UDHR could face external interference and forfeit their sovereignty

  • Human rights violations create tension between national sovereignty and the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ (R2P) commitment, making it clear that the sovereignty of a country has limits 

  • This tension was apparent in in Libya from 2011

tensions-between-national-sovereignty-and-responsibility-to-protect-in-libya
Tensions between national sovereignty and R2P in Libya

  • Despite a human rights argument being used as the reason for military intervention, other nations had vested interests e.g. a desire for energy security - Libya is a major oil exporter

Worked Example

Explain why some forms of intervention may be favoured more than others.

(8 marks)

  • Start by outlining the idea that different types of intervention are favoured by different groups for different reasons. Briefly suggest which types of intervention are usually promoted by different groups.

  • Then explain why a particular group would prefer that type of intervention eg. NGOs prefer peaceful interventions

  • Finally, explain why another group might prefer a different type of intervention eg. Western governments using economic and military interventions

Answer:

Different types of intervention are favoured by different groups for different reasons. The different types of intervention range from peaceful interventions to economic and political interventions depending on the aims of the organisations and countries involved. Some NGOs might prefer peaceful interventions, whilst some Western governments might use economic and military interventions in the name of human rights.

Human rights NGOs (e.g. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch) often seek to avoid any human rights abuses. To avoid any unintentional impacts on civilians’ human rights, these NGOs tend to favour peaceful interventions, such as petitions to put pressure on oppressive governments. For example, Amnesty International campaigns with local NGOs in Afghanistan to try to improve education for women and girls. However, since the Taliban regained control in 2021, human rights for women have deteriorated. 

Superpowers are more likely to favour military interventions in order to stop human rights abuses and protect the interests of Western powers. For example, France and the UK, directed by the UN, performed airstrikes on the Libyan government in 2011 to protect civilians. The government had killed hundreds of protestors demonstrating about government corruption and the poor economic situation in Libya. This led to the introduction of a new government, who is now in conflict with rebel groups, meaning Libya remains unstable. It is claimed that the UK’s main reason for military intervention was not human rights but to gain access to more oil reserves.

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