Chapter 5: National Interest and Foreign Policy. domestic policy

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1 Chapter 5: National Interest and Foreign Policy Key Terms: national interest peacemaking policy foreign policy peacekeepers continental shelf domestic policy gross domestic product Aspects of National Interest * People who govern communities and nations make decisions based on what is in the interests of their community or nation. Whether a people s nationalism is based on a shared ethnicity and culture or shared beliefs and values, they want certain benefits for themselves and their communities. These benefits their national interest may focus on one or more of the following: economic prosperity this includes stable employment and a decent standard of living security and safety measures to ensure safety and security include laws to protect citizens within the country beliefs and values these include people s values and culture.

2 * National interest is not static and unchanging. Events inside a country, such as a natural disaster or a proposed change in laws, can affect people s opinion about what is in the national interest. * Events outside a country, such as the sudden flareup of armed conflict between neighbouring states or the peaceful settlement of this conflict, can also change people s ideas about what is in their national interest. Differing Views of National Interest * People often decide what is in their national interest based on their understanding of nation and national identity. Many Canadians, for example, identify with Canada s reputation as a nation of peacekeepers. As a result, their decisions about actions that are in Canada s national interest may be based on whether the actions will promote peace in the world. * Other Canadians believe that Canada s peacekeeping role should shift to peacemaking. Canada s Armed Forces are fighting in Afghanistan, for example, because the Canadian gov t decided that this is in the country s national interest.

3 How are Nationalism and National Interest Related? * Nationalism can influence people s ideas about national interests in various ways at different times. This sometimes leads to extreme actions, such as invading other countries to gain territory. Or it may involve building up a country s reputation in the world. * In 2001, for example, China worked hard to persuade the International Olympic Committee to choose Beijing to host the 2008 Olympic Games. China had decided that it was time to show that it had become a world power. The Chinese gov t believed that hosting the games would improve the country s image in the world. To the Chinese, this was worth the high cost of building sports stadiums and meeting all the other expenses of hosting the Olympics. National Interest and Arctic Sovereignty * In August 2007, Russia claimed part of the 1800 km Lomonosov Ridge. The Russian gov t claimed that the ridge is part of its continental shelf. Russian scientists planted a flag on the seabed at the North Pole. Planting the flag made a symbolic claim to the natural resources that may be buried there. Canada disputes this claim.

4 * Two factors highlight the importance of claiming sovereignty in the Arctic. The first is climate change, which is causing Arctic ice to melt quickly. This melting may open the Northwest Passage to navigation all year round. This would shorten the distance between Asia and Europe. Canada claims the Northwest Passage, but other countries dispute Canada s claim. * The second factor that has made Arctic sovereignty an issue is the discovery of rich oil, natural gas, gold, tin, and diamond deposits in the Arctic seabed. * In August 2007, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Canada would protect the sovereignty of its Arctic territory by: sending new patrol ships to the Arctic increasing aerial surveillance in the region expanding the Canadian Rangers program building a Canadian Forces Arctic training centre in Resolute Bay, Nunavut establishing a deepwater docking and refueling port at Nanisivik, Nunavut

5 How Has National Interest Shaped Foreign Policy? * A policy is a plan of action that has been deliberately chosen to guide or influence choices and decisions. * A country s gov t is responsible for developing both domestic policy and foreign policy. Domestic policy guides decisions about what to do within the country Foreign policy guides decisions about official relations with other countries (also called Foreign Affairs) * Foreign policy decisions may have short-term effects on a small number of people or long-term effects on millions of people. Some foreign policy decisions made at the end of World War I are still affecting the world today. Many people believe that today s conflicts in Middle Eastern countries can be traced directly to the foreign policy decisions of the United States and European countries as they pursued their national interests at the end of World War I.

6 National Interest and World War I Peace Settlements * World War I was fought between the Triple Entente (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and the Triple Alliance (Britain, France, and Russia). The world had never experienced such a wideranging and deadly war. Millions of people died, and the financial cost was enormous. * European gov ts believed that expanding their territory in Europe and in their colonies was in their national interest. Their foreign policies involved forming alliances with other European countries. Members of these alliances agreed to help one another when one country was threatened. This system of alliances was one reason so many countries entered the war so quickly. World War I lasted four years and finally ended when a truce was declared at 11 a.m. on November 11, * The peace talks took place in Paris from 1919 to At these talks, the leaders of the various countries focused on the same issues that had started the war: sovereignty and territory, economic interests and security, and nationalism and national identity. * The victorious Allies, especially Britain and France, wanted to punish Germany. David Lloyd

7 George (Britain), Georges Clemenceau (France), and Woodrow Wilson (USA) led the most powerful Allied countries. As a result, they made many of the treaty decisions. The decisions had far-reaching effects on millions of people. * The Treaty of Versailles was the treaty that involved Germany. Harsh financial, military, and territorial penalties were imposed. The treaty required Germany: to reduce its military strength to pay war reparations to compensate the Allies for the costs of the war to give up territory in Europe, as well as all its colonies to accept responsibility for causing all the loss and damage that had affected the Allies (War Guilt Clause) National Interests after World War I * During World War I, many Canadians believed that fighting the war was in their national interest, but once the war ended, they turned their attention to domestic concerns.

8 * During the war, many Canadians had found work in factories that made war weapons, ammunition, and equipment. After the war, these products were no longer needed. Many people lost their jobs, and many returning veterans had trouble finding work. Domestic policies became more important than foreign policies. 9/11 and Canada in Afghanistan * The 9/11 attacks on the US killed nearly 3000 people, including 24 Canadians. After the attacks, military and security experts believed that Osama bin Laden and other al-qaeda members were hiding in Afghanistan. They said that Afghanistan s Taliban rulers were protecting them. The Taliban is a militant group whose members believe that people should follow a strict Muslim code of behaviour. * After the attacks, the United Nations agreed that the United States and its allies could invade Afghanistan. The goal was to destroy the Taliban regime and track down bin Laden. The UN authorized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to organize the Afghan mission. As part of its foreign policy after WWII, Canada had helped found NATO. The NATO treaty says that an attack on one member country is the same as attacking all NATO members.

9 * Sending more Canadian troops to Afghanistan represented a controversial change in Canada s foreign policy. The continuing conflict sparked debate in Canada over how long Canadian troops should stay in Afghanistan and whether they should stay at all. Canadian politicians disagreed over how to resolve this foreign policy issue. National Interests and Women s Rights * When the Taliban controlled Afghanistan, girls were not allowed to go to school and women were not allowed to have careers. To change this situation, Afghanistan s new NATO-backed gov t set up a ministry of women s affairs. This ministry s goal is to ensure that Afghan women have the same opportunities as men.