Define national interest. Explain development of the concept of national interest and types of national interest.
Here we will learn the topic Define national interest. Explain development of the concept of national interest and types of national interest. in detail National Interest is the core foundation and driving force of a state’s foreign policy. It represents the survival, security, economic well-being, and power objectives that a country seeks to protect and promote in the global arena. In foreign policy, the national interest is often balanced against the interests of other nations and international organisations. Different governments and political actors may have different views on what constitutes the national interest, and the national interest can change over time as a country’s circumstances and priorities change.
Definitions of National Interest
Objectivist and Subjectivist definition
Joseph Frankel has devided the various approaches adopted to define the concept of national interests into two broad categories- Obejectivists and Subjectivists.
In the first category, it included all those approaches which view national interest as a concept which can be defined or examined with the help of some definable criteria. The objectivist definition views national interest as a permanent, fixed, and material reality, rooted in state survival and power. In the second category , it included those definitions which seek to interpret national interest as a “constantly changing pluralistic set of subjective references.” The Subjectivists definition treats national interest as a fluid, socially constructed idea shaped by human perception, domestic politics, and ideology.
Broad and Single Interest Definition
Those who view national interest in a broad sense differ from those who define it in terms of specific individual interests. Generally, decision-makers at the operational level interpret national interest narrowly and take only a few dimensions into account. At this level the process of reasoning is inductive while at other levels it becomes more deductive. Again, the people with theoretical inclination take greater interest in the aggregate, while those with scientific bias lay more emphasis on the single dimension of the concept.
According to Brooking’s Institute,
“National interest is the general and continuing ends for which a nation acts.”
According to Charles Lerche and Abul Said ,
“National interest is the general long-term and continuing purpose which the state, the nation, and the government all see themselves as serving.”
According to Dyke,
“National interest is an interest by which the states seek to protect or achieve in relation to each other. While the above two definitions interpret national interest in terms of permanent guide to the action of the state, the definition of dyke mainly refers to national interest as an action. Obviously, the first two definitions seem to be more logical. Development of the Concept
In the ancient and the medieval times, states pursued certain substantial interests on the basis of which they conducted their relations. In the early Middle Ages, Christianity formed the basis of these relations, and states had to ensure that their laws conformed to Christian principles. However, with the emergence of the secular power, people looked upon the Church as the enemy of national interest. The national interest meant the interest of a particular monarch in holding fast to his territories due in extending his domains and in aggrandizement of his empire. In course of time, the popular bodies challenged the authority of the monarchies and asserted themselves. This resulted in the growth of democracy. Now the ‘honour of the prince was replaced by the honour of the nation. Thus the concept of national interest passed from the feudal and monarchical system to the republic and democratic system. It soon gained a common usage in the political and diplomatic literature. Thus the term ‘national interest’ gained currency only after the emergence of the national state system, increase in popular political control and the great expansion of economic relations.
Types of National Interest
Thomas w. Robinson has broadly classified the national interest into six categories, viz., primary interest, secondary interest, permanent interest, variable interest, general interest and specific interest. These interests are explained as follow:
Primary interests
These interests include the preservation of physical, political and cultural identity of the state against possible encroachments from outside powers. These interests are permanent and the state must defined them at all coasts. No compromise of these interests are possible.
Secondary interest
These interests are less important than the primary interests though quite vital to the existence of the state. These include the protection of the citizens abroad and ensuring of diplomatic immunities for the diplomatic staff.
Permanent interest
These refer to the relatively constant and long-term interests of the state. The change in the permanent interests is rather slow. An example of this type of national interest is provided by the determination of Britain to maintain freedom of navigation during the past few centuries for the protection of her overseas colonies and growing trade.
Variable interest
These interests refer to the interests that a nation considers vital to its national interest under a given set of circumstances. Thus, variable interests may differ from both primary and permanent interests. The crosscurrents of personalities, public opinion, sectional interests, partisan politics, and political and moral traditions largely determine these interests.
General interest
These interests refer to those positive conditions which apply to a large number of nations or in several specified fields such as economics, trade, diplomatic intercourse etc. For example, it was the general national interest of Britain to maintain balance to power on the European continent.
Specific interest
Through the logical outgrowth of the general interest specific interests are defined in terms of time or space.
For example, Britain considered it a specific
national interest to maintain the independence
of the Low countries for the sake of preservation of balance of power in Europe.
Identical interest
In addition to the above six
types of national interests, Prof. Robinson refers to three other interests which he calls “international interests.” These include the identical interests, complementary interests and conflicting interests. The Identical interests refer to interests which a number of states hold in common. For example, both the U.S.A. and Britain have shown interest in preventing Europe from being dominated by any single power.
Complementary interest
These interests refer to those interests, which though not identical, can form the basis of agreement on some specific issues. For example, Britain showed interest in controlling the independence of Portugal against Spain because she wanted to dominate the reign of the Atlantic Ocean. Similarly, Portugal sought the British maritime hegemony because this provided a safe means of defence against Spain.
Here we will learn the topic Define national interest. Explain development of the concept of national interest and types of national interest. in detail
Conflicting interest
These interests are interests other than the identical and the complementary interest. These interests are not fixed. The interests undergo a change due to the force of events and diplomacy. Thus, the present time conflicting interests may become complementary interests in future. Likewise, conflicting interests may also arise from the transformation of complementary and identical interests.
Here we will learn the topic Define national interest. Explain development of the concept of national interest and types of national interest in detail.
