Explain the systems of thought that influence nations when they are making a decision to “fight” or to decide what is in one’s “national interests”?

The decisions to fight or to protect national interests are probably the most important decisions because, as a rule, they lead to the war or, at least, some sanctions targeting at the protection of national interests. In this respect, it should be said that views on the process of taking such decision and systems of thought that lead nations to such decisions vary consistently. In this respect, it is possible to refer to works of Marx, who viewed the protection of national interests rather as the protection of interests of the ruling class, a privileged group that had political and economic control over the entire nation. According to Marx, the ideology of the ruling class was the dominant ideology in the entire society. In such a way, the decision of the ruling class to fight and protect “national interests” naturally becomes the decision of the nation because the ruling class is dominating and its decisions and ideas are dominant in the entire society. Obviously, Marx views the nation and its system of thought as totally dependent on the dominant ideology established by the ruling class. Consequently, he deprives the nation of a possibility to think independently and take decisions to fight or protect “national interests” regardless the position of ruling elite.

On the other hand, Jean Baudrillard justifies the decision of nations to fight or to protect “national interests” by the needs and consumption of people. To put it more precisely, the growing consumption increased needs of people.

Therefore, people have developed new standards of life and have increased the consumption. The consumerism is a part of the mentality of contemporary people. Hence, the limitation of people in the consumption naturally stimulates their counteraction to any attempts to limit their consumption. For instance, the lack of some resources, which is exported from another country, may stimulate the nation to fight against this country if this country decides to limit the export of the resources, which the nation will perceive as a threat to its national interests because people will unable to maintain the level of consumption they get used to, which actually defines their standards of life and the higher is the consumption the higher are the standards of life.



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