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?
Join four philosophers as they bring rigorous ethical analysis to bear on these urgent questions.
Meet our speakers and chair
Kieran Oberman is Associate Professor of Philosophy at LSE. He works on the philosophy of war and migration.
Jonathan Parry is Associate Professor of Philosophy at LSE, working on questions in the philosophy of war, consent and paternalism. He is the author of The Ethics of Humanitarian Intervention, Routledge.
Paola Romero teaches philosophy at LSE and is a lecturer at NYU London. She holds a PhD in Political Theory from LSE and specialises in political and moral philosophy, with a focus on Kant's theory of the state. She has written on Venezuelan politics for The Spectator and Law & Liberty.
Somayeh Tohidi is a research associate at the University of Bristol, working on the Foundations of Longtermism project. Her research spans decision theory, formal social epistemology, and the philosophy of social sciences. Her current work examines arguments for prioritising the prevention of human extinction over other goals. She has contributed to HuffPost UK on Iranian affairs and is an advocate for the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.
Alex Voorhoeve is Vice President and Pro Vice Chancellor for Faculty Development and Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method and in the School of Public Policy.
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