Session 7: National Interests, not global interests.

By now it would be safe to assume that everyone is aware of Realism and the actions of the state under the influence of this ideology. The continuous efforts of the United States of America to retain, or even increase their power in the political arena can be very well explained through the scope of Realism. However, Morgenthau in his article mentions that there is possibility for peace and freedom given that the states rule based on humanitarian grounds. This for me, is not only simplistic but also negates the whole idea of Realism and how states focus on national interests, not global interests.

Thinking very rationally, it is very self-explanatory why the United States focuses mainly on national interests and intervenes in those global interests where there is a need to maintain its balance of power. We have over the years seen various examples of how the United States has taken action against not only other states but also against global interests in favor of protecting personal interests. Whether you look at the Iraq war or at the involvement in Afghanistan, both of them show how the need for maintaining power led United States to take those actions. Keep in mind, I am not supporting the United States in any way for the actions they have taken over the years, but just attempting to explain their rationale behind it. It makes perfect sense of how United States wants to protect its own citizens first and other states\people come later in their list of preferences. Go ahead ask yourself, in case of war, would you save your own children first or save random people before your own children. We have to keep in mind, being the most powerful state of the world has its own limitations and it is not an easy position to be in