National Interest the Tool of the Devil or Our Best Friend?

What is in my interest and my compatriots interest is and has become not necesarrly the same as the nation. Our elected leaders are taking us into places of the world and engaging us in actions that do not serve our best interest. What is this grand political conspiracy leading us to? What, not who, is hijacking this once great nation and where is it taking us?

If this is national interest....

The national interest, often referred to by the French term raison d'état, is a country's goals and ambitions whether economic, military, or cultural. (1)

What are we....? As a Democracy (aka Republic with a representative form of government (with only partial access to certain sectors of it)) we should probably say that it's our elected leaders that choose what is in the nations best interest and do so rightfully. Do you agree? Putting corruption and greed aside we could say theoretically this could work (Just like Communism could in theory but not practice) but currently is not.

If this was the past....

In early human history the national interest was usually viewed as secondary to that of religion or morality. To engage in a war rulers needed to justify the action in these contexts. The first thinker to advocate for the primacy of the national interest is usually considered to be Niccolò Machiavelli.(2)

What is now...? I don't think they're saying morality has become secondary to national interest but I would truly say that those who claim America is the most moral culture and nation on earth are suffering from denial and ignorance. We are not clean, nor is anyone else. Even within our own borders we suffer from the effects of mans' violent and ugly nature.

I guess....

I don't know where I'm going with this but does my lack of trust for my own government unerve you? Do you look down upon me as a lost soul that has sunken into the depths of political conspiracies, half-truths, anti-war and anti-American propaganda? Or, am I on to something? Is there some great thing happening that has been justified in the name of National Interest. Something I can't get my finger on but I know to be there to exist and it's dark, it's big-massive-huge and if I ever saw it's evil ugly face I might actulally die from fright?

Is National Interest a tool of the IN aka Illumi Nati and it has Hijacked USA and is taking us into World War III....what else could be worse or more frightening than WWIII ? Or is National Interest the thing that keeps us all safe at night because it gives our elected leaders the focus to keep us safe?


(1)&(2) wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org...

[edit on 22-5-2005 by 00PS]

I think national interest is just that. It might be good for the nation AKA government, but not necessarily the citizens.
For whatever reason, the governments seems to think they know what the citizens need better than the citizens.

As a much discussed example on ATS, we have the JFK assassination. The government came up with a plausible scenario for the murder to coverup the truth.
Then we have the scenarios for all the "wars" that have been fought by this government. How much of what we are told is the truth, how much is disinformation for the national interest.

Does the government idea of "in the national interest" keep me feeling cozy at night? Not at all.

The realist school of political though would claim that the sole pursuit of any nation is power and self-perpetuation. Any moral justifications provided are merely excuses to justify the means of the pursuit of power with the population.

I don’t believe in absolute realism, but I think in general realism explains what happens in the world much better than the idealist school does.

Originally posted by 00PS
I don't know where I'm going with this but does my lack of trust for my own government unerve you? Do you look down upon me as a lost soul that has sunken into the depths of political conspiracies, half-truths, anti-war and anti-American propaganda? Or, am I on to something? Is there some great thing happening that has been justified in the name of National Interest. Something I can't get my finger on but I know to be there to exist and it's dark, it's big-massive-huge and if I ever saw it's evil ugly face I might actulally die from fright?
[edit on 22-5-2005 by 00PS]

No, anti-American press and propaganda is good business these days, seeing people take it to heart doesn’t surprise me anymore. The things that happen in the higher levels of our government are so convoluted and massive in scale, it is easy to see a series of separate events that make the news and draw the easy conclusions (which is exactly what the major news services want; controversy sells). The only way to see the whole picture is to join the ranks yourself, and accept the consequences as a byproduct of the search for the truth. This is something that most are not willing to do, and consequently "the government" becomes the boogeyman hiding in the closet and rises to the rank of some kind of omnipotent force responsible for all the evil in the world.

I see national interest both as a valid reason to do things as well as an excuse. Which one applies to any given situation isn’t always easy to determine.

At this point it isnt really "national interest" being served....now we are more into "international interests"

when you realize that the CFR and other elite organizations are serving steadfastly to bring in a global government, you realizae that it is INTERnational interests.....

and now it isnt even national interest being used as an excuse for tyranny...now it is more of "national security"....which is a joke because everytime you trace the terror back it ends up in the CIA/FBIs laps


JP

Well I'm glad you brought up realism because that's the 'real world' we live in. I mean it's a living ideology that is strong. I think Kissinger was a die-hard realist.

What's more interesting to me is that point about 'international interest' and that's why I kinda think USA has been hijacked by the Illuminati or whatever secret sect of society you believe is responsible for the upcoming world domination.

That's a paradigm shift almost for realists because their reality will change and they'll have all new conferences in vienna and geneva to discuss this.

International Interest will not be a compromise on issues for the good of the international community.

It will be the dominant force exploiting the weak to ensure its global domination...

Kinda sounds like the WTO