national interest
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country's goals and ambitions whether economic, military, or cultural
National interest refers to what a country believes will benefit itself—such as economic growth, military strength, or cultural influence. It matters because leaders use the concept of national interest to justify their decisions about trade, foreign policy, and military actions.
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Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- public interest
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- facet of
- international relations
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~4 min read
Encyclopedic overview
National interest refers to a sovereign state's set of objectives and priorities which it seeks to achieve to ensure survival, security, prosperity and influence in the international system. While often framed in terms of power, security and economic well-being, the concept is inherently contested: different theoretical traditions in international relations define national interest differently, and governments may interpret it in ways that reflect domestic political interests or changing social values.
Etymology
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “national interest” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.