De boycot beoordeeld : een ethische studie over de internationale dwangmaatregelen tegen Zuid-Afrika

Abstract

The boycott against apartheid-era South Africa was a matter of moral dispute. Were the international sanctions ethically justifiable as a means of opposing the system of racial separation? In this study, the requirements of the just war theory form the framework for answering this question. Illustrations are drawn from sanctions studies and personal interviews to show whether the arguments of supporters and opponents of the various boycott measures were either in line or at odds with the reality. The boycott issue presents the same moral dilemma as the punishment of collaborations in the Netherlands during the Second World War: are duty ethics or consequentional ethics of overriding importance? The just war doctrine does not enable one to make an unambigious judgement, but it does shed light on the motives behind the moral choices made regarding this dilemma. This study could not unambiguously show that the implementation of the boycott against South Africa was the only correct moral choice.