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Importance Of National Interest

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Is the National Interest conceptually useful in explaining foreign policy priorities or is it simply a cynical tool for politician’s self-serving interests?

Yes, national interest is conceptually useful in explaining foreign policy priorities even though at times there has been instances where it has been manipulated to serve the self-serving interest of politicians. The concept is valuable as it enables us a glimpse of what influences state behaviours. This information is essential as a state is motivated it to act and react in accordance to its interests. Its national interest may also be a precursor to a state’s demeanour during a negotiation and guide others on how best to engage with it in order to gain a favourable outcome. …show more content…

It also lends itself for re-interpretation by any statesman who needs to tap on the emotions of citizens and/or as a means of legalising his actions or policies.

1.3 Importance of the concept National – creating impressions
What use is the concept of national interest then if it is easily maneuvered to fit into the aspirations of those in power? I argue that the concept of national interests still retains its significance for states as a form of precursor of behaviour during collaboration. This is because the interests of a state forms its identity and with that it is able to present itself in a coherent and predictable manner to the other party.
A state tends to react on issues its presented with in a positive or negative manner based on its claimed interests. Thus no matter how problematic the concept of national interest is, it is still a very important and relevant one. As it would able to give the various actors that the state come into contact with a form of guideline or decorum when dealing with the state. It also gives the citizens a goal or an objective that they can identify with to create a cohesive society – a national …show more content…

However having a clear national interest is important to any state to have as a facade for interaction with other states. This is because when national interest is aligned to the collective wants of the people, the government gains the support and trust of the people. In such cases national interest becomes the best concept in explaining foreign policy priorities, as it is reflective of the wants of the people that the government is meant to serve. Hence using it, as a tool to prioritise foreign policy is a good idea as it aligns the needs of the people with policy

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