KavkazCenter :: World

Military force is an acceptable form of intervention overseas to help encourage the spread of democracy, David Miliband believes.

The foreign secretary told an audience at Oxford University last night he thinks the days of the left's moral qualms about intervention are over.

"In extreme cases the failure of states to exercise their responsibility to protect their own civilians from genocide or ethnic cleansing warrant military intervention on humanitarian grounds," he said.

"We should not let the genuine debate about the 'how' of foreign policy obscure the clarity about the 'what'."

Mr Miliband explained in most cases it would be acceptable to use other means of influencing fledgling democracies, like economic links, aid and membership of international institutions.

But he remained committed to using "hard power" like sanctions, security guarantees and military force where necessary, concluding: "The goal of spreading democracy should be a great progressive project; the means need to combine soft and hard power."

Source: Agencies

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