Does national interest still matter in a globalized world?

It is one of the significant questions that arises in our minds: why do some states cooperate with each other? At the same time, they compete with other states. The factor behind this changing behavior of states is their national interests. It is an evident reality of international relations that “when states’ interests converge, cooperation takes place, and when states’ interests diverge, conflict takes place.” In international relations, what matters most is the national interest of states, which is a traditional concept but remains relevant in a globalized world. It largely drives foreign policy and determines the behavior of states even in the 21st century.

The national interests of states are the basic objectives and goals that states consider to be of utmost significance for their survival, security, and growth. States always pursue their national interests irrespective of their history, language, ideology, or leadership. From the realist perspective, national interests are considered to be the guiding principle of states’ foreign policies. Hans J. Morgenthau, a notable realist scholar, argued that national interest should be defined in terms of power and that states tend to pursue and secure their national interests. Besides this, core national interests are non-negotiable and cannot be compromised by states. They are the building blocks of a state’s foreign policy. National interests determine cooperation and conflict among states. They include national security, economic growth, sustainable development, the protection of a state’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the well-being of citizens, and political stability. They influence the foreign policy of every state and play a central role in international relations. This illustrates the importance of national interests in the conduct of relations among states. Therefore, they are of great significance and influence a state’s behavior.

National interests still matter in the era of unprecedented global interdependence because they determine foreign policies of different states. They guide the state’s behavior and explain alliance formation in international politics. Although the world has become so interconnected, states still pursue their interests in the first place. States pursue their economic, security, defense, and public policies in accordance with their interests even in a world like a global village. When cooperation among states serves their interest, they engage in trade and business partnerships with one another, while divergence of interests often leads to conflict. There is absolutely no doubt that even in a globalized world, states first prioritize their interests, and even doing so may lead to military confrontation at the end.

In the 21st century, the concept of national interest has not lost its significance. Instead, it has become more influential and pertinent in understanding contemporary politics. Traditionally, national interest was only understood in military terms, with states primarily focusing on their national security and protecting themselves from any external aggression. However, in the present era, states’ national interests are no longer confined to only military security; rather, the discourse of national interests has expanded and broadened. Now, economic security, political stability, protection of sovereignty, technological supremacy, energy security, climate security, artificial intelligence, and space capabilities have expanded the discourse of national interests of states. Therefore, understanding the meaning and changing nature of national interest in the 21st century has become imperative.

In a globalized world, interdependence has deepened significantly. Cooperation among states has become a common phenomenon. However, global cooperation does not mean that states have begun to compromise on their national interests. Instead, global cooperation occurs when states’ interests converge and fully align with their needs. Hence, global cooperation is the product of the fulfillment of states’ national interests.

The current U.S.-China rivalry over strategic dominance has demonstrated that, even in a globalized era, great powers still prefer to influence other states by competing with their rivals. The United States of America is an established superpower, and China’s growing influence has become a major challenge to the U.S. effort to preserve its global hegemony. Therefore, the U.S. is often seen imposing tariffs on China to counter China’s growing influence globally and contain it from becoming a superpower. The U.S. strategic interest in containing China to protect its superpower status has highlighted the significance of national interests in the 21st century.

Additionally, the current Russia-Ukraine war is a vivid manifestation of national interests. Russia tends to capture the port of Sevastopol to carry out its trade, which is located in Ukrainian territory. Russia does not have access to warm-water ports; that is why it seeks to take over the port, as the port is a warm-water and deep-sea port, which is crucial for Moscow’s trade purposes. However, Ukraine’s interest is to defend its territory and prevent Russia from taking control of its port. Both are fighting to pursue their respective interests, which clearly indicates that national interests are still valid in the globalized world.

Despite the U.S. sanctions on Russia, India continues to purchase Russian oil at cheap prices. India, being the world’s most populous country, has to fulfill its energy needs. Therefore, it tends to cooperate with Russia in order to purchase Russian oil at lower prices despite the U.S. sanctions. It is in India’s interest to cooperate with Russia to meet its energy needs. But at the same time, India also maintains its ties with the U.S. as Washington is the world’s most powerful country and tensions with the most powerful state are not in India’s interest. Therefore, India purchases Russian oil and simultaneously pursues relations with the U.S. for its broader strategic interest.

Moreover, currently Pakistan is acting as a diplomatic mediator in the recent US-Iran conflict to defuse the tensions. This is because Iran is a neighboring state of Pakistan, and if this military confrontation lingers on, it will be great trouble for Pakistan because oil prices are continuing to surge, which is affecting Pakistan’s economy badly. Furthermore, Pakistan, through this mediation, desires to project its soft power on the global stage. Pakistan also has economic and strategic interests in the Gulf region because it has stable relations with Gulf states and a huge share of the Pakistani diaspora also lives there, which further encourages Pakistan to increase its diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict. Therefore, the peaceful settlement of the conflict is in Pakistan’s national interest. Thus, Pakistan is putting all its efforts into defusing the tensions between the two parties.

It is evident that states act according to their national interests. They always put their national interests above all other priorities. They do not hesitate in taking urgent measures when their national interest is at risk. This suggests that states’ national interests are non-negotiable and always remain states’ foremost priorities. This also indicates that states’ foreign policy is influenced and driven by their national interests, irrespective of their geographical location, history, ideology, or leadership. As a result, national interests decide with whom a state maintains cordial relations and with whom it has strained ties, because when states’ interests converge, cooperation takes place, and when states’ interests diverge, conflict emerges. Consequently, national interests are still relevant and matter in the 21st century.