Foreign Policy & National Interests
Conceptual:
Sovereignty
making the determination and protection of national interests the key operational dictate and definition of sovereignty :
Interest
Base meaning: raison d'etat (state of reason)
National Interests:
Vital Interests:
represent the hierarchical values that states have
sovereignty dictates that the interests a state has are its most important concern
Preserving the state is the highest supreme interest
preserving and promoting is the the heart of international conflicts and their resolution
Controversial
Conditions for a interest to be a national issue is general or vague
Often up for debate
National Security
the most vital national interest (protecting the nation from harm)
reasons why an interest might not be one:
The issue may not be really important enough for this elevation
the position the advocate has on the issue may or may not be the best way to attain the goal
Intersubjectivity/objectivity
whether all observers can view the same phenomenon in the same way
Questions of national interest:
Core: a statement of truth
Whether the issue is in fact a matter of interest and what degree. of importance should be attached to doing something about it
Prescription for appropriate action to alleviate whether problem the situation
1st observation: Its truth or falsity can be demonstrated objectively
Optimizing:
Vital Interests (VIs)
Less-than-vital (LTVs)
conditions that. are so important to the state that it will not willingly compromise on their attainment.
reaching conditions maybe out of reach for the state
matters of descending but lesser importance to the state that would cause varying but not basic discomfort or inconvenience to the state and whose non-realization may not be entirely intolerable
It is important to tell the difference between the 2
are worth going to potential war for
normally do not justify the resources to use force
Not all entail challenges to national survival, but are important enough that states will engage in serious efforts for it
ex: border disputes
Content of Interest:
Hierarchically arranged
All situations are unique thus needs some type of judgements to be made
Questions asked:
Into what pair of categories from the matrix does an individual situation fall?
How important is it?
What quality of actions are justifiable to realize the affected interest and which are not?
Issues at lower levels have less priority and importance
Generally agreed upon
Objects come from both sides
Individual Interests
International interests
conditions and actions that contribute to or detract from maximum survivability and prosperity for everyone
the most important of which center on individual human rights and the conditions that maximize (or minimize) the survival and prosperity of individuals
Represent an extension of arguments for popular sovereignty that. can be endangered by an unfettered pursuit of national interests in several ways
ex: when 2 countries cannot compromise
a concern and a source of international tension and disagreement particularly when efforts to pursue national interests results in international effects that both make the disagreement over national interests greater and endanger the interests of humankind as a whole
Security dilemma
the clash between national and international interest levels
There is a lot conflict and competition in raising a national issue to supremacy
Real World examples:
United States & Saudi Arabia
United States
Preferences:
the minimization of Soviet/Russian Influence
guarantee access to adequate petroleum resources at a reasonable and stable price
Safety and sanctity in a religiously hostile region
Suppressing regional sources of terrorism
Saudi Arabia
Sees US as:
valuable source of military acquisition
prime provider of protection for the kingdom from its enemies
Oil customer
heavily depends on the US
Differences
Differences:
Similarities
More economically diverse
Both countries are similar economically
SA
US
per capita GDP: $59500
per capita GDP: $54800
economy depends on petroleum
Important to the world
"Buy" their influence from oil wealth
Importance comes from the oil demand in the world
has smaller and less diverse population
33 million people
37% was immigrants
Immigrants and non-muslims are not able to apply for citizenship
90% of people are Arab
85-90% of them are Sunnis
Country size: 830,000 sq mi
1.6% is farmable
Has 3 largest population in the world
Gov't
Absolutist monarchy
king exercises political power like the middle ages
State Religion: Wahhabism
an more conservative and evangelical form of islam
There is an alliance bet/w the house of Saud and Wahhabis (can lead to corruption for ruling the country)
Many views can be radically anti-western & anit-america
Religion is separated from the state