IR Handout 6 PDF

International Relations: Theory and Practice Handout for Lecture 6 Lecture Topic National Interest Origins of National Interest The word interest is derived from Latin and means “it concerns, or it makes a difference to”. In the 1930s, Charles Bear wrote the first book concerning natio...

International Relations: Theory and Practice Handout for Lecture 6 Lecture Topic National Interest Origins of National Interest The word interest is derived from Latin and means “it concerns, or it makes a difference to”. In the 1930s, Charles Bear wrote the first book concerning national interest. In following years the notion of national interest in IR has been used to describe the underlying rationale for the behavior of states in a threatening global environment, which preserves and protects one’s values against another. Statesmen who are responsible for and to their separate publics, and who operate in an uncertain milieu, often have little choice but to put the interest of their own entity above those of others. National interest is understood to mean a state of affairs valued solely for its benefit to the nation. National interest often becomes synonymous with national egoism, with its disposition of transferring self love onto the national group. One cannot speak about national interest without reference to values, even if they are a culmination of those held by some or all members of a given society What does Nation Interest include? Scholars define national interest variously. Some put self-preservation (territorial integrity, political independence and fundamental government institutions) at the head of the list. Other categories of national interest focus on self-sufficiency, prestige, aggrandizement. Charles Bear focused on the notion of territory and commerce as being the defining features of national interest. Morgenthau says that a country’s national interests should be proportionate to its capacities Britain and France after WWII had superpower ambitions, not commiserate to their capacities). 16 Criteria for Defining National Interest Ideological criteria: if one country's ideology is liberal-democratic, it will make policies supporting democratic governments and movements and oppose totalitarian ones. Moral and legal criteria: the imperative to act honestly and make decisions in accordance with international laws. Pragmatic criteria: unemotional, calculated decisions to deal with on ground realities. Bureaucratic criteria: each organization tends to exaggerate its specific funding request and to argue in the name of the national interest rather than its own interest. Partisan criteria: to equate the success of one’s own political party with an entire nation’s success. Racial criteria: national interest defined in terms of interest of an ethnic or racial minority or majority Class-status criteria: a particular class will defend its interests while defining national interest. Foreign-dependency criteria: protector states define policy obligations of their dependencies. Relevant Vocabulary Imperative: vital or of utmost importance Synonymous: identical, a different term with the same meaning Notion: idea Self-sufficiency: self reliance or independence Aggrandizement: enhancement or exaggeration Obligations: duties or responsibilities Dependency: being dependent or reliant Ground realities: actual circumstances 17 Suggested Readings Students are advised to read the following chapters to develop a better understanding of the various principals highlighted in this hand-out: Chapter 3 in ‘“A Study of International Relations” by Dr. Sultan Khan. Internet Resources In addition to reading from the textbook, please visit the following web-pages for this lecture, which provide useful and interesting information: National Interest Analyses www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/dfat/nia/ 18