How do nations justify their intervention in another country’s affairs? And these justifications, are they legitimate or just tools for nations to barge into a country’s vulnerable place and ram their ideologies, influences, and personal gains continuously until the country swallows everything whole and just becomes an empty vessel staying vulnerable to another round of abuse by the nations committing such abuses.

What makes us so right? Our version of human rights? Our version of technologies? Education? Charitable causes?

Perhaps in essence it is each nation to themselves proving to themselves and others that their version of things are more superior than others. And the nations become satisfied when the so-called lesser countries adopt the nations’ version of things. How are we different than our past self? And why must we invigorate the past mistakes over and over again?

Every country is supposed to be unique with their own cultural heritage, ideologies, and identity. Hence each country has their unique way of dealing with their problems. Of course, depending on the circumstances, the country may take an extreme and drastic measure such as dictatorship. However, this form of extremity may be necessary in certain cases such as when a country is in total chaos and therefore needs strong leadership or focus to keep the country from totally falling apart.

But then the other nations want to jump in with human rights, technologies, education, and charitable causes—use these reasons as justification to meddle with a country’s problems. The meddling can be in forms of “protectorate” in the old days to creating “sanctions” against the country going through the problems. In the case of “protectorate”, the nation that is doing the “protecting” abuse the country that is being protected of their resources (past examples can be China and Korea while the present example can be Libya although it is officially not a “protectorate”). As in “sanctions”, because the country is “sanctioned” by other nations in terms of trade (a method towards economic gain), the country going through the problems falls into further turmoil as the country do not have and is hard to build up economic resources for the country to rebuild herself.

A recent country that is suffering through these interventions by other countries is Venezuela. Venezuela, once a prosperous country, is now going through turmoil as its economy collapsed. Rather than getting help from outside nations, because of Venezuela going through dictatorship, many major nations have created “sanctions” against Venezuela; essentially making the country without much allies. Venezuela with what resources they have, the country is buying oils and resources from other nations and sending it to its remaining allies such as Cuba. The resources that can be used to rebuild the country is being used to maintain allies…further dissent rises within the country…an endless cycle.

So, when should other countries help another country? There is not a solid answer but a question in mind.