Self-interest, national interest and the political leader's responsibility

The two major schools of thought on international relations in the United States are the realists and the internationalists (often called utopians). Both have a long history in Anglo-American thinking on foreign affairs but the internationalists have taken a back seat to the realists since World War II. Internationalists have called for international cooperation in the interests of humanity while the realists have emphasized self-interest and national power. An examination of the formation of the Panama Canal Treaties shows that neither school is adequate in explaining how national interest is defined. Instead, national interest is the result of a more complex political process; According to Aristotle, the supreme virtue of a political leader is prudence. Diplomatic prudence addresses political complexity, because it is a thoughtful balance of the moral and strategic goals of the statesman. The author examines the notion of prudence and its application to international relations.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Ethics and Policy Studies

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Year

1995

Author dc:creator

• Gumiensky, Joe

Statement dc:rights

• IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/rtds/532

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:oasis.library.unlv.edu:rtds-1531