Related issue #2: To what extent should national interest be pursued?
As we made our way through chapters five through eight in out textbook we came across many examples of national interest being pursued, some examples of these were.
During and after WWII, Russia immersed itself in the toils of life under a dictator who saw himself as the saviour of the Russian ideal. Joseph Stalin represented himself to the international community through propaganda as the loving leader and father figure of an entire nation. However, in reality, Stalin ruthlessly pursued what he saw as the national interest. Stalin even went to the extent of slaughtering entire populations of his people to reach this end.
Another example is when Hitler and his media stirred the people of Germany into an untranationlist frenzy. Similar to Stalin, the goal of the Nazi party was to cause the people of Germany to support any particular interest that Hitler brought forward to the people. Tragically, this lead to the genocide of the Jewish people and basically starting another a world war. Hitler essentially manipulated and brainwashed the populous of Germany into supporting a national interest, utterly and systematically, even though it was entirely wrong.
During and after WWII, Russia immersed itself in the toils of life under a dictator who saw himself as the saviour of the Russian ideal. Joseph Stalin represented himself to the international community through propaganda as the loving leader and father figure of an entire nation. However, in reality, Stalin ruthlessly pursued what he saw as the national interest. Stalin even went to the extent of slaughtering entire populations of his people to reach this end.
Another example is when Hitler and his media stirred the people of Germany into an untranationlist frenzy. Similar to Stalin, the goal of the Nazi party was to cause the people of Germany to support any particular interest that Hitler brought forward to the people. Tragically, this lead to the genocide of the Jewish people and basically starting another a world war. Hitler essentially manipulated and brainwashed the populous of Germany into supporting a national interest, utterly and systematically, even though it was entirely wrong.
Another great example to look back on was in Japans national interest after WWI and through WWII was influenced by the high militaristic ultranationalist values held by people such as Tojo Hideki and Emperor Hirohito. When The Great Depression happened it caused the majority of the Japanese population to lose their jobs leading to the collapse of the Japanese economy. The people of Japan then dealt with a food crisis because of a failed rice crop. Therefore, the military leaders of Japan decided that it would be in the national interest of Japan to invade Manchuria. Consequently, Japan was bombed later in the war. If Japan had found a better solution to demonstrate for their national interest besides aggression, then they may have avoided millions of deaths both for and against them.
In summary through these three examples, we can justify horrific actions on the basis of national interest. What i'm trying to say is that national interest can be empowering or a detrimental force. Either way it is the choice of the people
In summary through these three examples, we can justify horrific actions on the basis of national interest. What i'm trying to say is that national interest can be empowering or a detrimental force. Either way it is the choice of the people