The ethics of foreign intervention: philosophical perspectives on Venezuela and Iran

The US capture of President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026 and the US–Israeli military campaign against Iran have thrust foreign intervention back to the centre of global debate.

These events raise profound philosophical questions. When, if ever, is it permissible for states to intervene militarily in the affairs of another? Can intervention be justified on humanitarian grounds even when it violates international law? Do the intentions of the interveners need to be moral for the intervention itself to be moral? And can foreign intervention ever truly serve the interests of those it claims to protect?