Published on: Mar 09, 2012
By: Dr C P Thiagarajah
Mahinda Samarasinghe, Sri-Lankan government’s special envoy to the UNHRC while addressing the High Level Segment of 19th Session of the UNHRC at Geneva on 27th February 2012 made a Machiavellian request from the audience. He asked the world body to accept the means adopted during the war although it was laden with war crimes, as the end was a good one-defeat of terrorism, and to allow his government proceed with reconciliation. This might had been adoptable in 15 century renaissance Italy. Machiavelli’s controversial political theory is what we call today as “ends justify the means” in politics. In essence he meant the monarch may sometimes be excused for performing acts of violence and deception that would be ethically indefensible in private life. As an extension of this principle violence may be necessary for the successful transfer of power and introduction of new legal institutions; force may be used to eliminate political rivals, to coerce resistant populations, and to purge previous rulers who will inevitably attempt to regain their power.
By: Dr C P Thiagarajah
Mahinda Samarasinghe, Sri-Lankan government’s special envoy to the UNHRC while addressing the High Level Segment of 19th Session of the UNHRC at Geneva on 27th February 2012 made a Machiavellian request from the audience. He asked the world body to accept the means adopted during the war although it was laden with war crimes, as the end was a good one-defeat of terrorism, and to allow his government proceed with reconciliation. This might had been adoptable in 15 century renaissance Italy. Machiavelli’s controversial political theory is what we call today as “ends justify the means” in politics. In essence he meant the monarch may sometimes be excused for performing acts of violence and deception that would be ethically indefensible in private life. As an extension of this principle violence may be necessary for the successful transfer of power and introduction of new legal institutions; force may be used to eliminate political rivals, to coerce resistant populations, and to purge previous rulers who will inevitably attempt to regain their power.Unfortunately for the special envoy, in the 21 century when the universal human rights principles are deeply entrenched fully in all 194 UN member countries, his plea for impunity over the genocide of Tamils in May 2009 may be an anathema.[ more ]
