CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE NATIONAL INTERESTS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29038/2524-2679-2020-02-06-17Keywords:
concept, nation, state, national security, geopolitics, valuesAbstract
The article analyzes the process of conceptualization of the scientific category “national interests” in international relations theory. It is noted that the conceptualization of the national interests means the procedure of theoretical organization of their scientific knowledge in order to build an appropriate theoretical and methodological model of research, highlight the essential characteristics of the phenomenon and develop its conceptual apparatus. The main hypothesis of the study is the assumption that the state of national interests can act as a universal generalizing criterion of national security. The formation of this criterion is based on the following basic characteristics of the state: socio-political system, indicators of economic development, international division of labor, geopolitical situation, as well as national and cultural traditions. The use of comparative-historical and activity method of scientific research made it possible to trace the evolution of scientific knowledge of national interests and the process of their conceptualization into an independent scientific direction, which became the American school of modern realism. It has been proven that the main scientific debates took place earlier and continue today due to the unresolved issue of the objectivity of national interests. The author argues that national interests are an objective category, differences in their understanding and assessment are due to different perceptions of threats and opportunities to prevent them, as well as different assessments of the acceptable price of a political decision. The peculiarities of constructing the national interest on the basis of two key elements are highlighted: the first is a constant value of the state; the second is a variable that depends on a specific historical epoch. The main functional purpose of the first key element is to preserve the physical, political and cultural identity of the state, and the second depends on events and trends at a certain point in the development of the state.
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