How useful is the concept of the ‘national interest’ in explaining international politics?

How useful is the concept of the ‘national interest’ in explaining international politics

Question: How useful is the concept of the ‘national interest’ in explaining international politics?

You will be doing so by arguing that the concept of ‘national interest’ as an idea has influenced international politics or helps us to explain some aspects of international politics.

What you SHOULD NOT do is argue that national interest is what causes states to act (example, engage in war with another state or engage in diplomatic talks) that is not AT ALL what this essay should discuss.

This essay must argue that the concept of ‘national interest’ is a good starting point in understanding international politics.

For this essay you MUST argue this using THREE different theories of International Relations. Those theories being: The Realists’ theory, the Constructivists’ theory and finally the Marxists’ theory.

You must argue that while all three theories present good arguments for HOW the national interest is shaped or comes about, the MARXIST theory is the best and MOST VAILD argument to use when attempting to explain the current state of international politics.

For each theory you will use, you must discuss that theory in relation to its perspective or conception of national interest, using a specific theorist of each of the respective theories.

For example, you should not simply saying something like “according to the Realist approach….” but rather you should argue in this manner… “according the Kenneth Waltz, the Realism theorist, he postulates that…etc.”
So therefore, for each of the theories you must use someone belonging to that theory to explain the how idea of national interest is formed, and how it helps us to understand international politics.

In addition, the same goes for Constructivism and Marxism. You must argue your point for that theory using a specific theorist.

For Marxism you have Saull for example. Same goes for constructivist, you a specific theorist for all of the theories. (the theorist you use is your choice but he/she must have a strong argument about how national interest is formed and that according to them this is how we can begin to explain international politics)

You must use a maximum of 2 theorists per theory, but no more, however you can use only 1 per theory, but it has to be a very strong and convincing argument for that theory in how the concept of national interest came about according to each respective theory.

This is just a brief background sidetone of the three theories, which I’m sure you will find on your own but briefly… Realist: State (given its rational) shapes policy Marxist: social forces and struggle is not separate from the state but it struggles for the state and thats what leads to foreign policy, Constructivist: aspects of international relations are Historical and socially constructed rather than outcomes of human nature.

Is national interest situational according to the Realist for example, it is up for interpretation, these are some of the questions that you will find out and address using the theories.

This essay will be judged or marked based on its theoretical analysis. More so than on empirical cases. So that is why it is beyond crucial to maintain the use of all three theories for this argumentative essay and ending with that, while all three produce valid arguments for what is national interest and how it is formed, the Marxist theory is best suited and most valid argument to help us explain international politics.

The technical structure of the essay should be as follows: Please do not provide an overview or a brief history of events or terms but rather begin arguing the thesis right away after the introduction (which is maximum 1-2 paragraphs) In the first body paragraph is important that you define what is meant by Imperialism in international relations. Please do not use encyclopedias, .com or .org. or .net websites. Instead please ONLY use first or second hand academic and scholarly articles that could be found on databases such as JSTOR and EBSCO etc. When using or referencing source please do not use direct quotes or use what an author has said word for word. But rather please paraphrase everything. IN-TEXT citation is crucial and it should be abundant, and not few and far between. There must be a relevant IN-TEXT citation at least at the end of every paragraph. This essay has to be 2500 words NOT including the bibliography. The structure of the essay should be as follows: 1. Addressing the Question: This is one of the most common mistakes made but, with a little bit of effort, can be avoided. The essay you write must answer the question it addresses DIRECTLY. This means carefully looking at all the words in the question and trying to identify the point of the question. Look for key words such as ‘explain,’ ‘assess,’ ‘discuss,’ etc. Everything you include in the essay should be relevant to the question. This means that for every section of the essay you should be able to have a reason why it is important. It is very easy to drift away from the question, but you must try to avoid this. An essay which only discusses the general topic, as opposed to answering the question directly, will not be acceptable. Rather, you must tailor the knowledge you have acquired through discussion and reading to address the question as it is asked. Once you have done some reading, you will be aware of the debates in which the question is situated and you will have a better idea as to what you want to argue with respect to the question. 2. Advancing an Argument: Your essay must have a clear argument (also called a thesis). An essay which just produces a string of facts, as if it is a report, does not achieve its purpose and will not receive a high mark. Your argument, or thesis, should be clearly stated in your introduction. Every subsequent section of your essay should substantiate your argument. Part of making an effective argument includes demonstrating an awareness of the debate you are engaging in and responding to important alternative arguments. The various lines of argumentation that you discuss in putting forward your thesis should also illustrate your awareness of the literature on this particular topic and provide examples from cases that can support your claim. Often this awareness of the literature and examples becomes evident when you support your argument by countering alternative opinions. 3. Essay Structure: Your essay must be organised and have a structure, if it is to receive a high mark. This means that you must do a considerable amount of thinking about the organisation of your essay before you begin to write it. You will need to make an essay plan or outline before you start to write the actual essay (you will probably do this during exams as well, so it is a good exercise to do.) Structure is important not only because it will make you express your thoughts in an organised and clear manner, but it will also help the reader to quickly grasp your argument. Good structure and organization is part of effectively communicating your argument and such a skill is useful in both academic and professional contexts. A well-structured essay has an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. In the introduction you should introduce the question you wish to address and what you understand this question to mean. The introduction should normally not be longer than one paragraph. Towards the end of the introduction you should clearly state what your argument is, i.e. how you wish to answer the question. You should demonstrate an awareness of the debate that you have entered into; in addition to making an argument, you should be seeking to refute (or comment on) important alternative arguments. Note: The introduction is the most difficult paragraph to write, and it is sometimes advisable to leave writing its final version until you have completed the rest of the essay. The body (or middle part) of your essay should be clearly structured into several paragraphs. These paragraphs should serve to further develop your argument in relation to the question and to provide important examples to support your argument. Examples are a form of evidence and should be chosen carefully to make specific points. You may also choose to develop a brief ‘case study’ as a means of using evidence to support your argument, and to refute alternative arguments. It is important that each paragraph should relate to the argument you are making and the question you are answering. A good paragraph is a small essay in itself, with an introductory sentence, a middle part, and a brief conclusion. In the conclusion of your essay, restate and summarise your argument once more about the question asked and briefly relate the implications of your argument to general topic associated with the question. In brief, and as someone once wrote: “Tell them what you are going to tell them (introduction), tell them (main body), then tell them what you told them (conclusion).” In the conclusion you MUST provide a call to action or what you believe should be done in order to avoid or deter this occurrence in the future. I have opted and paid for the VIP service package meaning that it is expected that the essay will be fulfilled by a top 10 writer such as yourself and then it will be proof read by an editor. I have also chose Premium quality. Often times, i believe that the essays sent to me are not in fact proof read by an editor because of NUMEROUS grammatical and linguistic errors. Including but not limited to, guessing what the writing is trying to say because there are so many gaps or unclear sentences in the essay. Please do not let this happen with this order. The each paragraph of the essay has to flow nicely with the following paragraph and that all of them link to form a cohesive argument that, while all 3 theories have their own conception of what is national interest, and how it its shaped, the Marxists theory is the best one use in relation to its the idea of national interest and how their conception best helps to explain international politics.