On Monday 19th October, the Edinburgh Union debated the statement “Western Military Intervention Has Done More Harm Than Good” in Rainy Hall, New College.
This topic forces us to “confront uncomfortable truths” about Western interventions which have “shaped global politics.”
On the proposition, student Dalia Wickenden, former ambassador Frances Guy, and journalist Iain Overton defended the statement.
Opposing them were student Charlie Kirby, historian Sir Hew Strachan, and journalist Tim Ripley.
Dalia Wickenden opened the debate with the principle “Western military intervention is of an Orientalist nature, plain and simple… this can only do harm.”
Next, Francis Guy focused on the extinction of indigenous populations as evidence of the “harmful legacies of our past” which “run very deep.”
Iain Overton detailed his on-the-ground experiences during the US invasion of Iraq, which he described as a “bloody circus” leaving behind a “mountain of the dead.”
“These ghosts,” he emphasised, “live with me in my reporting.”
The opposition focused primarily on the harms of Western powers not intervening. Tim Ripley drew on the “just war theory,” stating “I believe there are some wars that need to be fought.”
Hew Strachan combatted Wickenden’s Orientalist concerns, arguing we live “in a post-colonial world, not a colonial world.”
An audience Q&A section followed the speeches. One speaker asked Tim Ripley and Iain Overton: “you’re both journalists—why do you disagree?”
The responses were straightforward. Ripley answered “I’m not a pacifist,” whilst Overton replied, “I’ve seen more war than you, I think.” The latter statement was resonant with audience members, prompting an “ooh” around the hall.
Charlie Kirby’s closing summary also provoked a response. He argued that a weakness of the proposition was that Western action in Gaza — a topic they’d frequently referred to — was irrelevant to the debate as no intervention had taken place.
From his seat on the panel, Overton scoffed at this view.
The audience was varied, from undergrad to postgrad students and well beyond — notably, a group of nuns was in attendance.
Following the debate, audience members voted via the door they chose to exit the hall through: front for opposition, back for proposition.
One attendee who voted for the proposition believed their argument was “overall so much stronger,” favouring Iain Overton’s speech for its persuasiveness.
The Edinburgh Union are yet to confirm the results of the debate.
Image by Kian Sullivan for The Student
