Given the widespread attachment to the nation as a social and political organization, national interest is a powerful device for invoking support. This assumption is obvi ously true, although actually defining and prioritizing specific interests may be rather difficult in the contemporary era, with growing interdependence among nations and no superpower competition. Focusing on variable constellations between the logic of institutionalization and construction at the interstate level on the one hand and domestic factors on the other, this model offers a number of general hypotheses about the potential, contingent, and uneven impact. National interest is the most crucial concept in international relations. The christian science monitor is an international news organization that delivers thoughtful, global coverage via its website, weekly magazine, online daily edition, and email newsletters. Nature of international politics sovereign states are. An interest rate is the percentage of principal charged by the lender for the use of its money. The difficulty with the analytical usage of the term is the absence of any agreed methodology by which the best. To do this, it is useful to divide the national interest of a country into four basic needs, or requirements, which form the underpinnings of i. Learn about this and test your knowledge with a quiz. As an instrument of political action, it serves as a means of justifying. National debt plays a crucial role in a countrys financial system. Interest definition is a feeling that accompanies or causes special attention to something or someone. National interest and national development in nigeria.
National debt is the total amount owed by a government to its creditors. National interest is a vague and ambiguous term that carries a meaning according to the context in which it is used. What a state seeks to protect or achieve and what it desires to have in relation to other states are, generally speaking, the aims of foreign policy. The general, long term and continuing purpose which the state, the nation, and the government all see themselves as serving. Govt that act in the national interest try to protect and respect the shared worldviews, cultures, traditions, and languages of their citizens.
The national interest of a state is rooted in the social consciousness and in the cultural identity of a people. Govt that act in the national interest try to protect and respect the shared worldviews, cultures, traditions, and. All the nations are always engaged in the process of fulfilling or securing the goals of their national interests. Overview of national interest, continuities and flaws in. Challenging dominant accounts of american foreign policymaking, defining the national interest exemplifies how interdisciplinary scholarship can yield a deeper understanding of the connections between domestic and international change in an era of globalization. Bush entered office in 2001 promising a foreign policy based on the national interest rather, the new bush men and women implied, than on the squishier standards of the outgoing. In the same way that public interest and national interest are differentiated elsewhere netshitenzhe, 2002, an allembracing statement of a countrys national interest cannot be derived from just one of its subsets.
Alaska national interest lands conservation act public law 96487dec. Reflect on questions related to the central question. No single definition of the national interest commanded the support of any substantial majority. A cursory look at the principles and objectives shows what the nation intend to achieve in her foreign. The national interest is a slippery concept, used to describe as well as prescribe foreign policy. Some scholars have even regretted the waning of the very idea of a national interest today. This is a question that i took up in 2000 in these pages. Domestic conflict over how to define the national interest is the result. The foreign policy of each nation is formulated on the basis of its national interest and it is always at work for securing its goals. In a situation such as this, national interest does have a negative contribution to national development.
Of course, where we do not wish to export a particular value, then that value is strictly domestic in character, and should not be presumed to interfere with the national interest. The realists use of the term national interest in evaluating foreign policy has focused on national security as the core of national interest. National interest is one of the important concepts for a country in international relations. In pursuit of national interests, there are no permanent enemies or allies but permanent interests a define national interest, various types and examples of national interests and b roles of national interests in the formulation of. In practice, the national interest of a country is synthesized and checked by political leaders or policy makers. Yet monumental changes were unfolding changes that were recognized at the time but whose implications were largely. Apply national interest reasoning and use tools of foreign policy attachment 2b to address selected current foreign policy cases attachment 3. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a pdf of a single chapter of a. National interests which are often regarded as the staple ingredient of foreign.
National interest is a key concept in international relations. International politics meaning, nature and scope national. This van dyke definition mainly refers to national interest as an action rather than a logic. One commonsense definition describes it as the general and continuing ends for which the nation acts. Hence, national interest is defined as the totality or aggregate interest of groups in a given state. As a result, banks pay you an interest rate on deposits. When politicians use the phrase national interest they seek to convey a message about the. One is that national interests can be defined precisely. It includes a residual meaning1 which is immanent in the idea itself, but over and above this minimum.
The national interest tni is an american bimonthly conservative international affairs magazine published by the center for the national interest, which is a washington, d. It refers to the selfinterest of nations, how states envi. The concept of the national interest is used in both political analysis and political action. Hans morgenthau and the national interest cambridge core. That was a time that we as a nation revealingly called the postcold war era. One of the gravest obstacles to a commonly acceptable definition of national interest is the fundamental disagreement between those who conceive it broadly and.
Govts that act in the national interest to try to ensure the personal safety of citizens, peacefully resolve differences with other countries, and control who enters the country. As william scheuerman observes, the concept of the national interest first. Anyone can lend money and charge interest, but its usually banks. President richard nixon on january 20, 1994, as the nixon center for peace and freedom. It is the key concept in foreign policy as it provides the material on the basis of which foreign policy is made. International relations and national interest samuel bh faure. National interest definition of national interest by. The interest of a state, usually as defined by its government. Basic goals of nigeria foreign policy from the foregoing, it is clear that nigeria foreign policy is driven by national interest. Pdf understanding national interests takudzwanashe. While formulating foreign policy all statesmen are guided by their respective national interests. Apply foreign policy aims to standard categories of national interest attachment 2a. This chapter develops a constructivistinstitutionalist model of national interest formation and foreign policy formulation. It argues against the two most prevalent approaches.
Hans morgenthaus concept of the national interest first appeared, somewhat like thunder out of china, in the essay the primacy of the national interest as part of a forum in the spring 1949 issue of the american scholar titled the national interest and moral principles in foreign policy. A study on the concept of the national interest of hans j. The overall focus is on what canada needs to do both to defend its own people. As a whole, it is defined as survival and security of a state. According to dawn 2010 they are the vital interests of a state of which survival is the first and foremost interest. Sep 11, 2018 no arbitrary definition of the national interest by the executive should abrogate such inalienable rights of nigerians, without first being subject to independent judicial oversight. The general, long term and continuing purpose which the state, the nation, and the. Jul 12, 2018 of course, where we do not wish to export a particular value, then that value is strictly domestic in character, and should not be presumed to interfere with the national interest.
A national security publication dedicated to original reporting, expert analysis, opinion, and breaking news. The foreign policy of each nation is formulated on the basis of its. The national interest is a composite declaration derived from those values that a nation prizes mostliberty, freedom, security. The countrys foreign policy is driven by a set of principles and objectives that the state intend to actualize in the course of her relation with other countries. As an analytic tool, it is employed to describe, explain, or evaluate the sources or the adequacy of a nations foreign policy.
The national interest and its interpretation miroslav nincic this article discusses possible interpretations of the concept of national interest, with a view to providing a conception more analytically useful than those that have dominated the literature. It mainly focuses on the countrys ambitions in cultural, military and economic backgrounds lavy, 1996. Featuring top defense and national security content by experts such as defense editor david axe, dr. Information and translations of national interest in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Other articles where national interest is discussed. Statesmen and policymakers have always used it in ways suitable to them and to their objective of justifying the actions of their states.
Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a pdf of a single. The concepts of national interest is very complex and difficult to turn into working strategy. We knew better where we had been than where we were going. The national interest and the government interest vanguard news. Interests are usually expressed in terms of physical. Analysis of the different aspects of national interest. This van dyke definition mainly refers to national interest as an action rather. Constructing national interest article pdf available in european journal of international relations 23. National interest and international interest part 1. In other words, the national interest of a state is a product of social values which the people have.
National interest definition is the interest of a nation as a whole held to be an independent entity separate from the interests of subordinate areas or groups and also of other nations or supranational groups. No arbitrary definition of the national interest by the executive should abrogate such inalienable rights of nigerians, without first being subject to independent judicial oversight. International relations and national interest oxford. Formers definition describes national interest in terms of a permanent guide to the action of a state, the latters definition regards national interest as the action itself. As this analysis turns to morgenthau, a founder of the national committee and the chief theorist of the national interest, to define the complexities of the term, morgenthau read the writings of the founders of americathe federalistsfor an explication of what has become the most important term in the lexicon of international relations. It carries an assumption that is it possible to define the national as a melding and cohering of all interests, including business, sectoral, regional, and religious, within a country. Interest of state and national security interest are closely allied terms. This brief definition of national interest does not, however, provide the scholar or decisionmaker with any guidelines to help in identifying these interests. Once the national interest is established by defending against the abovementioned usurpation, a reasonable order must be set among the essentials which constitute the national interest and among the resources which are available for the pursuit of those essentials.
Jan 20, 2017 national interest has entered the lexicon as a phrase that implies a realist approach to international relations. It was characteristic of the third period that the national interest was no longer justified by moral principles as in the second period, but it. Identifying canadas fundamental national interests by the honourable barbara j. All the nations are always engaged in the process of fulfilling or securing the goals of their national. International politics meaning, nature and scope according to hans morgenthau international politics is the struggle for power between states in the international system. People do hide under the cover of national interest to project and protect their own individual or group interest. An analysis of the national interest of india politics essay. National interest is used to explain the motives behind nigerias relations with other countries of the world.
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