In my book "Non-Truth, Moral Nihilism, and Jacobin Cynicism" (see link to the left), I explain in detail why ethics, rather than economics, jurisprudence, or science, is and must be the unifying force of any successful human association. When we consider the primary parameters of human doing and undertaking - freedom and responsibility - the importance of morality becomes clear. Human freedom is realized and revealed by how humans accept responsibility in all aspects of their existence, thus exposing their inner moral sense.
The bond between freedom and responsibility is so strong that one cannot be imagined without the other. This realization must have prompted neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl to demand the installation of a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast of the United States to complement the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast.
The importance of morality in sustaining human unity and prosperity - an issue that has always extended far beyond empirical and scientific study into the realm of metaphysics - suggests the need for a transcendent foundation, a religious-metaphysical frame of reference for any socially and politically collective of people. As the current state of most Western societies demonstrates, particularly in the United States, if this foundation becomes corrupted or lost, political entities are doomed to perish in the long run.
Morality as the foundation for prosperous human relations applies to both the individual and societal levels. And it works in the vast majority of personal interactions. In family, friendship circles, and the workplace, people usually respect the worth and identity of others. Where it fails, the enforcement structures that society provides itself in the governmental organizations of law and law enforcement intervene and produce what voluntary action of people did not accomplish. However, in international relations, there is no effective law enforcement mechanism. We have a ius gentium, or people's law, which is mostly enshrined in the United Nations Charter, but no enforcement authority. As a result, international relations are open to power politics, the implementation of individual members' national interests, the pursuit of unilateral and imperialist goals, and other considerations of dominance and exploit.
The mechanisms of international law established by the UN Charter, specifically the main task of the Security Council in maintaining and restoring world peace, do not function. Aside from a lack of enforcement capabilities, ideological prejudice and a lack of objectivity within the organization exacerbate the UN's weakness. Current examples for the ineffectiveness of the United Nations include the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War and the Hamas-Israel standoff.
But what if warring parties and those behind them adhered to timeless principles of international relations and national security ethics, instead of engaging in the old game of greedy power politics while promoting outdated enemy images? What if all nations recognized all members of the international community's equal standing and right to exist, regardless of their size, economic and military power, demographics, or ideological identity? What if all nations voluntarily followed the principle that no country may secure its own safety at the expense of the safety of others? What if even the most powerful nations accepted and welcomed the resulting balance of power among the international community?
Indeed, we would not have to witness Ukraine's utterly pointless and easily avoidable war, with its tens of thousands of dead soldiers, civilian casualties, millions of displaced people, refugees, and, on top of that, the dire economic and social consequences for Europe. More importantly, a world founded on this understanding would provide a stable platform for economic competition, trade, the exchange of ideas and education, as well as cultural and artistic achievements.
No matter how unlikely the realization of this demand is, it is still required if Kant's Eternal Peace formula - always thought only as an approximation to the state of complete peace - is ever to become reality. Powers, nation-states, and their alliances must abandon the national security models and demeanor that have guided global stability since World War II. New avenues for a minimal ethics of international relations must be explored, to supplement the rules outlined in international law and the UN Charter. Because the criterion of ethics is the voluntary application of an acknowledged rule, enforcement mechanisms would no longer be required.
