ABSTRACT
We turn to consideration of the moral aspect that is attached to the choice of international trade policy. In particular, the concept of virtue and the common good, associated with Aristotle and the idea that we share a common humanity, leads to a moral obligation to assist fellow human beings out of poverty. This is outlined using two approaches: the teleological and the deontological, which refer to ‘rightness’ of action and ethical considerations of duty respectively. It follows that, the advanced, developed economies have responsibilities to end world poverty through what Pogge has called a causal contribution principle. Then, invoking Rawls’ maximin rule, where consideration must be focused on the position of the least advantaged and in maximising the position of the poorest in society, and creating a synergy with the prioritarian cosmopolitan position, it is argued that we arrive at a position whereby there is a moral obligation to redistribute resources to effect fairness and justice on a global scale. Hence, by demonstrating that the existing international order is making the position of the poor worse, and that there exists an alternative order that could reverse the situation, it must be the case that the developed countries have an obligation to accept the introduction of the alternative international order.
