National power and national interest

National interest and national power are intertwined. These two concepts work together when we address international relations. And here, we’re going to see that relation.

Introduction

Today, I want to speak to you about the interrelation between national interest and national power. It is crucial to understand it if we want to know how international relations work.

On another occasion, I spoke about what national interest means, and its role in global affairs. And I mentioned its relation with other factors such as geography and even national power. However, now it’s time to address this question with more detail because it will be helpful to see the coherence between States’ strategies in the international sphere.

The search for power

The national interest is the interest of the State. For this reason, it’s the guideline for the State’s policy. In the external realm, this guideline plays a critical role by conducting foreign policy. It has to do with how the State manages its foreign affairs to survive in a hostile and competitive environment. That entails interactions with other countries, but also with different actors that have relation to the national interest.

Insofar as the national interest determines the national security, it’s fundamental to have the necessary means to protect it. Otherwise, the State’s survival would be in danger. When we talk about those means, we refer to different resources that support national power. Therefore, national power is the instrument of any State to protect its national interest and assure its survival in the long run.

As Morgenthau said, whatever the aim of the State is, its immediate goal is power. That explains why international relations are a power struggle. We can’t dismiss the fact that resources and national capabilities are unequally distributed. And that reflects on the power relations in global affairs. There are powerful countries that enjoy a dominant position in the system, and they use it in their benefit. And other countries which are not better off, grapple with their inferior position in the world hierarchy.

So, the national power represents the might of the State, and its capacities to ensure its security and survival in a hostile and competitive environment. Without national power or the necessary power to protect its national interest, the State ends up perishing or being a vassal. Hence, we can see the interrelation between national interest, national power, and national security. In this regard, the survival of the State may be identified with its national security and national interest. And it’s for every country its primary goal.

For this reason, national power is so important because it’s a guarantee of its survival. However, no State is sure about how much power is enough to grant its survival. That boosts rivalries between countries, and a permanent competition to concentrate more power, and as a result, more resources.

The sources of national power

Now, let’s take one more step by addressing what national power depends on. That’s important to know the internal and external dynamics of power relations.

This aspect of national power has two different dimensions. One of them is the material base of power, namely, those resources that support power. And the other dimension is the way to extract and organize those resources that underpin the national power.

Besides this, I have to mention the implications of national power in the inner and external realms. That’s something I want to reflect on at the end of this episode.

Aside from the fact that power is multiple, and we would have to talk about different powers such as the political, military, economic, ideological, and so on, it needs resources. These resources are diverse and many. It’s not only financial wherewithal, but also raw materials, workforce, knowledge, technology, and so forth. Nevertheless, these means are useless if no one organizes them. In this regard, government methods, and the organization of the space, are crucial to extract and mobilize these resources. A State that is plenty of all kinds of resources, but it’s unable to tap them, is vulnerable, and its position is similar to those who lack these resources.

At this point, we have to consider geopolitical factors because they affect the State’s capabilities. In the inner realm, we have to speak about those resources I mentioned, but also about the way the State organizes the space. In this regard, I want to stress the fact that geopolitics is overall a practice in domestic and foreign politics, besides warfare and diplomacy. However, in this discussion, I want to focus on politics. And that’s what brings the importance of the organization of the space into our attention.

Neoclassical realists are very clear in this respect. They argue that the State form, with its institutions and structures, determines its political future. They are right on this because it affects its capacity to mobilize the resources available in its territory. In this way, as the British sociologist Michael Mann said, they need to develop an infrastructural power to get access to those resources. That means bureaucracy, courts of justice, but also public works to establish transport and communications between the capital city and the territorial periphery. These organizational means allow the State to asses the wealth available, increase its control on population and territory. In sum, it facilitates access to the resources it needs to underpin its power in the inner and external realms.

So, the territorialization of the space by organizing it with communications, infrastructures, institutions, and so on, is critical. That is because it allows the State to increase its capabilities. That has a decisive influence on the national power, but also in the way the State develops its foreign relations. For this reason, we can’t limit our analysis to this inner dimension. We have to go further, and take into account the external realm, and how the State builds the national power concerning the general conditions in which it operates.

In the international sphere, we have to mention geopolitics again. It matters more than we usually think. The State location, its proximity to the main routes of international commerce, its relations with its neighbors, the external communications, and so on, are geopolitical factors that influence the national power. Although national power depends more on the inner conditions of the State, it is also related to the geopolitical context in which it works. No State is self-sufficient. That’s why it has to articulate a comprehensive foreign policy to get those resources it lacks. Then, national power may increase if the State develops a wise strategy in its foreign affairs. That entails alliances, international agreements, and so on, that allow the State to extend its influence and strengthen its position on the global stage.

Naturally, as I said before, the ability of the State to reinforce its international position, and to survive, depends mostly on its internal capabilities. Its capacity to mobilize resources in its territory is crucial. That’s the core of the national power. It determines its ability to deploy its influence abroad. So, it happens to be fundamental to reach agreements and build alliances to increase its national power. Thus, the foreign activity of the State is, in this respect, a way of outsourcing its national power. Otherwise, it would jeopardize its position on the world stage.

When a State deploys its national power abroad, it increases it by extending its sphere of influence. That’s evident when we are before a great power, and it can build its network of allies. By doing this, it extends not only its presence but also its interests beyond its borders. Besides allies, some vassals support this great power, and sometimes their role becomes relevant. It happens when they are an instrument of the foreign policy of this power. In that way, they become an extension of the national power of the dominant State. By doing so, this country strengthens its national power. Nevertheless, all of this is the consequence of an unequal distribution of capabilities. That situation allows powerful countries to enjoy a better off position, and to take advantage of it by increasing its capacities abroad with allies and vassals.

We’ve seen so far the way a State builds its national power. Now it’s time to take a look at the implications of the national power in both the domestic and external spheres. That leads us to speak about the balance between the State and society, and the balance of power in the international domain.

State-society relations and balance of power in international relations

In the domestic field, national power has a direct impact on the relation between the State and society. Its development leads to an unbalanced situation. State power increases, and in the meantime, the power of society shrinks. Normally, this kind of process involves social conflict and changes in the organization of society with the emergence of new State institutions and structures. This situation is typical during modernization because the State grows, and its contact with society increases. That boosts frictions insofar as the State extends its control on society to mobilize more resources and strengthen its power. Social conflict, destabilization, and revolutions stem from modernization processes. These disruptive events are the response to State measures, and they usually involve a different way of modernization.

In the international sphere, the situation is different because we are speaking about an anarchical environment. No world government regulates relations between nations. Instead of that, States compete to survive. And to do so, they try to concentrate as much power as they can. Besides this, we have to keep in mind that there is also an international power structure. It organizes countries in a hierarchy.

This structure constrains the States’ possibilities. However, it depends on the unequal distribution of States’ capabilities and their interactions. So, the international context is complex not only for this constraint but also for the fluctuation of power relations. In this regard, I have to mention that despite the importance of national power, there are alliances between countries to counterweight dominant or predator States. Therefore, the balance of power emerges as a result of these interactions, especially when some country breaks it on the international stage. Coalitions of States to offset an unbalanced situation are a natural response to the threat of great power with hegemonic aspirations.

Question of the day

Question of the day! What do you think is more dangerous for people, a hegemonic State encroaching on other countries’ freedom, or many States with expanded powers? Post your opinions in the comments section below, and I’ll check it out.

Bibliography used:

Strayer, Joseph, On the Medieval Origins of the Modern State

Strayer, Joseph, Medieval Statecraft and the Perspectives of History

Gilbert, Felix (ed.), The Historical Essays of Otto Hintze

Tilly, Charles, Coercion, Capital, and European States: AD 990-1992

Mann, Michael, The Sources of Social Power

Poggi, Gianfranco, The Development of the Modern State

Anderson, M. S., The Origins of the Modern European State System 1494-1618

Spruyt, Hendrik, The Sovereign State and its Competitors

Le Goff, Jacques, La Baja Edad Media

Giddens, Anthony, The Nation-State and violence

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