Essay Example for You: National Interests and National State Behavior

National interest is used in describing the goals and aspirations of a country. The goals may be military, economic, or cultural. It is also the reason of the nation, and it changes from time to time depending on the upcoming needs. The military goal of a nation, for instance, changes depending on the security status, during an election the government provides more security to the citizens considering that protests may arise any moment depending on the results. The nation-state behavior determines the policies that will be formulated such as foreign affairs and stabilization of the economy of the nation for the welfare of the people (Song, 2014). Using the term national interest as a rationale for nation-state behavior can be dangerous due to the opposition the government is likely to face since everything they do is considered to benefit them and not the other countries.

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International relationships should avoid using the words national interest. The country which initiated the relationship could be considered selfish since they formed the partnership because of what they can get from the other country and not what they can offer (D'Anieri, 2014). The term national interest indicates exploitation. In a partnership between America and one of the third world countries, America could use the national interest to show the benefits it is getting from the country such as the raw materials at lower prices, in the name of providing security and economic support. Once the developing nation understands the exploitation they are undergoing; conflicts are likely to result between the two countries and the partnership in most cases is terminated.

The national interest concept can also be studied in the domestic environment on the various activities and impositions of the government. The tax decisions, for instance, when the government imposes excess taxes, it would be considered an act of corruption. Though the government may indicate that their reason would be getting enough cash to support the economy of the nation, most of the cash may be going to the leaders to enrich themselves. The outcome would be more corruption as people will opt the things which are taxed less and may even cause conflict within a nation between the government and the citizens. The economic condition of some of the citizens would be worsened especially the low-income earning countries (Song, 2014).

National interest can be used to replace nationalism or patriotism which appears almost the same. The terms are used by politicians who have interests in gaining a high moral ground, thus silencing the potential opposition staged against their policies. Hitler is one of the leaders, who are recognized for using this slogan which appealed to the German population and gained him abroad adventures. Hitler was a dictator and did everything which could benefit him and not the people of Germany.

In the religious nations such as Israel and the United States, the people believe in God and his teachings which guide them to be good citizens. The will of God is considered as the sole national interest in the country. The government is thus expected to ensure the welfare of the people such as providing housing and food, vocational education for the children, creating job opportunities for people and ensuring that principles never come before money (D'Anieri, 2014). However, it is hard for such rules to be followed and the tern national interest is compromised.

Reference

D'Anieri, P. J. (2014). International politics: Power and purpose in global affairs. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Song, W. (2014, March 27). The Concept of 'National Interests' Is Misleading and Dangerous. Retrieved February 23, 2018, from The Epoch Times: https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-concept-of-national-interests-is-misleading-and-dangerous_584808.html