National Interest

And Foreign Policy

Focus Questions

To what extent do national

interest and foreign policy shape

each other?

How are nationalism and

national interest related?

Both individuals and nations/ nation-

states often take the following into

consideration when making decisions

1. Economic prosperity

2. Security and Safety

3. Beliefs and Values

National Interest

Nations and nation-states try to act in

their national interest

National Interest: The interests of the

people of a nation; their prosperity,

security and survival.

Chapter 5 Vocabulary

National interest

Peacekeepers

Peacemaking

Policy

Domestic Policy

Foreign Policy

Gross domestic product

Just as people’s understandings of

nationalism may differ, their opinions on

what is the national interest may differ.

National interest is not static and

unchanging

Differing Views

People often decide what is in the

national interest based on their

understanding of nation and national

identity.

Values, beliefs, history and myths can

contribute to this

Example

Many Canadians for example feel that

Canada’s identity is based on our values

of peace and human rights and thus it is

our interest to remain peace keepers.

Others feel that global politics have

changed and Canada’s new identity and

role is now of peacemaker.

Peacekeepers: Armed forces who

maintain peace by keeping enemies

apart until crisis is resolved diplomatically

Peacemaker: Armed forces that are sent

to maintain peace in a region and use

force for other than self-defense.

National Interest And

Sovereignty

National interest often involves claiming

sovereignty over territory.

An example is Canada’s claim to Arctic

Sovereignty, and a dispute with Arctic

neighbors, Russia, Denmark, Norway

and USA.

National Interest And

Foreign Policy

Policy: A plan of action that has been

deliberately chosen to guide or influence

future decisions.

Domestic Policy: A plan of action that

guides a government’s decisions about

what to do within a country.

Foreign Policy: A plan of action that

guides a government’s decisions about

its official relations with other countries.

National identity and national interest

both have profound impacts on the

policies set by government.

Policy decisions can have lasting effects

on many people and may define the

course of history