WHY is the pursuit of national interest an issue?

Definitions concerning National Interests Realist – power politics; narrow interests; a country’s own interests over all others; focused in the outcomes in the short term. Idealist – international cooperation; altruistic; respect for the rules; fairness; actions need moral justification; broader, long term outcomes

Definitions Cont’d Realpolitik – politics based upon the realities of power or National self interest, carried out without regard to world opinion or moral implications. Superpower – an extremely powerful nation. Specifically, one of a very few dominant states in an era when the world was divided politically into these states and their satellites. Great Power – a country prior to World War 2 that was considered to be dominant and extremely powerful, but not as powerful as a Superpower.

Definitions Cont Middle Power- Views of politically and economically powerful states such as Canada that are less militarily powerful than superpowers but can be influential as global mediators Lesser Powers – Countries of lesser importance which are economically and politically weaker than middle powers

How are the National interests of countries affected by their status? What motivates a country to act the way they do? Foreign Policy dictates the actions a nation takes when it interacts with another. Foreign Policy - a course of action that a sovereign nation takes in its conduct with other nation-states or international organizatio n. Nations can be very focused on their own needs when pursuing their own national interests. Sometimes conflict arise because of these contending national interests

Questions To Answer 1. Why do superpower countries have the advantage over lesser powers in pursuing their National interests? 2.Why is there tension between idealists and realists? 3. Why do some countries choose narrow interests over enlightened self interest? 4. Can you list other situations in the world where idealism or realism governs the actions of countries in their pursuit of self interests