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NATIONAL INTEREST:Criteria for Defining National Interest

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International Relations-PSC 201
VU
LESSON 06
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).
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
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International Relations-PSC 201
VU
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/
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International Relations-PSC 201
VU
LESSON 07
NATIONAL INTEREST (CONTINUED FROM LECTURE 6)
Variations in National Interest
There are different types of national interest. Some of the salient ones are described below:
Primary Interests: preservation of physical, political and cultural identity of the nation-state.
Secondary Interests: protection of citizens abroad and ensuring diplomatic immunity of foreign missions.
Permanent Interests: long-term interests of strategic, ideological or economic nature which do not change
easily, with changes in domestic politics, for example
Variable Interests: these are short-term interests varying with cross-currents of personalities, public opinion,
partisan politics, sectional interests etc.
General Interests: involve a large number of nations, such as economic interests or diplomatic norms.
Specific Interests: location and issue specific interests emerging from more general interests (bilateral terms of
trade for example).
Identical Interests: interests held in common by different states (climate protection concerns)
Complementary Interests: though not identical, these interests can serve as basis for agreement on specific
issues (US-Pakistan security cooperation).
Conflicting Interests: bring countries at odds with each other. Yet these interests can also undergo change due
to varying internal circumstances and a changing external scenario.
Means to Promote National Interests
Coercive Means: these can be internal so that they don't infringe directly on other sovereign nations
(embargos, boycotts, severing diplomatic relations) or they can be external and are a prima facie act of war
(seizure of property of offending state, suspension of treaties), if the other state responds with escalating
moves, it leads to an outbreak of war.
Alliances: based on complementary or identical interests and strengthened by ideology, alliances can promote
national interest.
Diplomatic Negotiations: common interests are most effectively perpetuated by means of diplomacy.
Diplomacy is also useful in negotiating conflicting national interests without resorting to coercive means.
National vs. Global Interests
Given the complexities of international politics, Morgenthau for e.g. opposes state action based on universal
principles, instead he advocates a pragmatic approach of acting based on national interests.
Yet, issues of global concern like growing inequalities and environmental problems require world leaders to
think beyond the narrow ambit of national interests. The world is also becoming increasing interconnected
due to which national interests often exert an influence on global interests and global interests to some
degree also compel national interests.
Relevant Vocabulary
Coercive elements: potentially destructive elements which can lead to escalating tensions or cause outbreak of
violence
Scenario: existing situation
Partisan: division into factions or different parties
Perpetuated: affected or enabled
Ideological: based on an ideology or belief system
Ambit: realm, domain or field
Inequalities: the gap between the haves and the have nots
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International Relations-PSC 201
VU
Compel:
oblige
or
influence
Suggested Reading:
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:
Promoting the National Interest
www.foreignaffairs.org/20000101faessay5/condoleezza-rice/
campaign-2000-promoting-the-national-
interest.html
Table of Contents:
  1. WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND WHAT IS ITS RELEVANCE?
  2. APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: THEORIES IN IR
  3. APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:Traditional Approach
  4. THE NATION-STATE SYSTEM:Further Evolution of Nation-State
  5. THE NATION STATE SYSTEM: BASIC FEATURES OF A NATION-STATE
  6. NATIONAL INTEREST:Criteria for Defining National Interest
  7. NATIONAL INTEREST:Variations in National Interest, Relevant Vocabulary
  8. BALANCE OF POWER (BOP):BoP from a historical perspective
  9. BALANCE OF POWER (CONTINUED):Degree of Polarization, Functions of BoP
  10. DIPLOMACY:How Diplomacy Functions, Traditional Versus Modern Diplomacy
  11. DIPLOMACY (CONTINUED):Diplomatic Procedures & Practices, Functions of Diplomacy
  12. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Judging Colonization
  13. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Types of Neo-Colonialism
  14. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Objectives of Imperialism
  15. NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER:Criticism of IEO, NIEO Activities
  16. NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER:Prerequisites for the NIEO
  17. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT:Origin of NAM, NAM’s Institutional Structure
  18. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT (CONTINUED):Cairo Summit, Egypt - 1964
  19. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT:Criticism of NAM, NAM and Pakistan
  20. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS - INTRODUCING THE COLD WAR PHENOMENON
  21. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS (CONTINUED):Truman Doctrine, Marshal Plan
  22. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS (CONTINUED):End of the Cold War
  23. DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL:History of Disarmament
  24. DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL (CONTINUED):Other Disarmament Efforts
  25. THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
  26. THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (CONTINUED)
  27. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:Need for IGOs, Categorizing IGOs
  28. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (CONTINUED):United Nations, Criticism of the UN
  29. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (CONTINUED):European Union, World Bank
  30. THE ROLE OF DECISION MAKING IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
  31. DECISION MAKING (CONTINUED):Rational Actor Model, Group Politics Model
  32. SYSTEMS APPROACH TO IR:Underlying Assumptions, Elements of the System
  33. SYSTEMS BASED APPROACH (CONTINUED) – DISTINCT SYSTEMS IN IR
  34. LIBERALISM AND SOCIAL DEMOCRACY:Neoliberalism
  35. LIBERALISM AND SOCIAL DEMOCRACY (CONTINUED):Liberalism vs. Social Democracy
  36. INTEGRATION IN IR:Preconditions for Integration, Assessing Integration
  37. GLOBALIZATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS:Advocates of Globalization
  38. THE GLOBAL DIVIDE:World Social Forum, Can the Global Divide Be Bridged?
  39. FOCUS ON FOREIGN INVESTMENTS:Pro-poor Foreign Investments
  40. CONFLICT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION:Components of a Conflict
  41. CONFLICT RESOLUTION:Creative response, Appropriate assertiveness
  42. THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT:Global Concern for the Environment
  43. THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT:Environmental Concerns and IR, Some Other Issues
  44. HOW IR DIFFER FROM DOMESTIC POLITICS?:Strategies for altering state behavior
  45. CHANGE AND IR:Continuity in IR, Causality and counterfactuals, IR in a nutshell