SAGE LIBRARY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS I N T E R N A T I O N A L SECURITY VOLUME I The Cold War and Nuclear Deterrence @SAGE Publications (original) (raw)
The 'national interest' in international relations.
2022
Within the field of International Relations, the term 'national interest', has become a contested, and, as Joseph Nye put it, a 'slippery' concept, as no clear definition or meaning of it has been agreed upon by scholars (Nye, 1999). Historically, the term national interest first appeared in Italy in the late 16th century, with the publication of 'Ragion di Stato' (Reason of State) by Giovanni Botero, an Italian diplomat, who defended the right of the state to act in whatever way and by whatever means, in order to preserve and increase the power and dominion of the state. Today, both Neo-Realists and Liberal scholars have come to a consensus, albeit limited, that the national interest, at base, has to do with the security of one's state (Baldwin, 1993). More broadly speaking though, the national interest is about doing what is best for the country, i.e. preserving national sovereignty, building diplomatic relations with other states, increasing state prosperity, increasing safety and wellbeing and so on. If the national interest, or the interest of the state, which is usually defined by the government, is put into peril by another player in the anarchic system, the government will undoubtedly react, and attempt to protect or promote its interests. Both Neo-Realists and Liberal scholars, although from different perspectives, agree with this and
NATIONAL INTEREST IN FOREIGN POLICY
IRL Research, 2019
International Relations Research paper on the effectiveness of national interest in the formulation of a state's foreign policy
The purpose of this course is to raise and examine questions about American foreign policy and the forces that shape it. U.S. foreign policy has always contained tensions created by the complimentary and conflicting demands of national interest, international responsibility, principles, and power, as well as the dynamics of domestic politics and international relations. By examining the processes by which foreign policy is made, we shall attempt to better understand the nature of these tensions as the United States has grown in wealth, power, and global influence over the last two centuries.
What Is in the National Interest? Hans Morgenthau's Realist Vision and American Foreign Policy
To answer that question this analysis examines the work of the political realist thinker Hans J. Morgenthau who transformed the study of international relations with his analysis of this question. 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 America— the Federalists—for an explication of what has become the most important term in the lexicon of international relations. As relayed in this analysis, Morgenthau distilled three precepts underlying the founders' conception of America's interest in foreign affairs and nine rules that govern the art of diplomacy. They are identified and explained here in an analysis that shows, among other things, the durability of Morgenthau's thought.