Can foreign policy ever rest on ethical foundations - or is morality always subordinate to strategic interest? In an era marked by daily reports of military action that sidestep both international law and basic human decency, this question feels more urgent than ever. Yet history offers moments when principle, pressure, and politics collide in revealing ways. One such episode from the late 1970s shows just how fragile - and how powerful - ethical arguments can be when they challenge the machinery of state.