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- Herausgeber: GRIN Verlag
- Sprache: Englisch
Seminar paper from the year 2002 in the subject Politics - Region: Other States, grade: 1, Macquarie University, language: English, abstract: When the Australian Labor government announced the deployment of a naval contingent to the Persian Gulf on the 10th August 1990, Prime Minister Bob Hawke described the commitment as being ”proportionate to the interests we have at stake” . What Hawke refers to in his statement is the importance of national interests in the formulation of foreign policy and a country’s reaction to world events such as Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. This paper will analyse to which extent the Prime Minister’s claim to have acted in and proportionate to the national interest is true. In order to be in a position to answer this question, one has to agree on a definition of the term ”national interest”.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011
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Page 1
Dr. Belinda Helmke
When the Australian Labor government announced the deployment of a naval contingent to the Persian Gulf on the 10thAugust 1990, Prime Minister Bob Hawke described the commitment as being ”proportionate to the interests we have at stake”1. What Hawke refers to in his statement is the importance of national interests in the formulation of foreign policy and a country’s reaction to world events such as Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. This paper will analyse to which extent the Prime Minister’s claim to have acted in and proportionate to the national interest is true. In order to be in a position to answer this question, one has to agree on a definition of the term ”national interest”. The national interest is a widely used concept in the field of international relations, yet the term is difficult to define and is surrounded by controversy. While it is an essential ingredient of realist theories, political scientists such as Raymond Aron and James Rosenau are inclined not to believe in the existence of such a concept2. Considering, however, it is used by the majority of governments to justify and formulate foreign policy objectives, it is a concept that, despite being contested, cannot be dismissed. Gareth Evans, Australian Foreign Minister from 1988 until 1996, stresses its importance to Australia when he states that ”all foreign policy is, or should be, directed at the protection and advancement of the national interest”3.
Although the existence of so called universal interests such as the protection of a country’s national sovereignty and territory cannot be denied, claims that national interests are an objective datum4, are incorrect. Rather, national interests have to be seen as a ”constantly changing pluralistic set of subjective preferences”5. This is due to the fact that national interests and the degree of their importance are derived from national values and defined by the government of the day, the ideology of the party in power, and often influenced by the personalities of major political figures and ministers and sometimes even interest groups.
In general, national interests can be defined as those foreign policy objectives aiming at advancing a country’s well-being and that of its citizens. With regard to Australia’s involvement in the Gulf War, the relevant set of national interests according to which foreign policy was conducted, were defined by the Labor government of the day, under Bob Hawke. By reviewing governmental publications, records, papers and speeches, Australia’s national interests of the 1990-91 period can be grouped into three major categories. Namely, strategic interests, economic and trade interests, and, to use Gareth Evans’ term, the interest in being and being seen as a good international citizen.6This definition also leads to the question of the prevailing political ideology or theory by which Australian foreign policy making was guided at that time. As the concept of national interests is closely linked to realism, it would be logical to assume that Australian foreign policy during the 1990-91 period was driven by this theory. However, the national interest
1Bob Hawke ‘The Gulf Crisis: Government policies in response to developments’ in Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, The Monthly Record, Vol. 61, No. 12 (December 1990), p.853
2Joseph Frankel, National Interest (London, Pall Mall, 1970), pp.16-17
