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Australia's foreign policy

Scott Burchill

1. Defining Australia's national interests

Politicians invoke the national interest whenever they are trying to sell an unpopular policy to the electorate (e.g. a new tax). So is it any more than a rhetorical device which casts opponents of a particular policy as unpatriotic? If you oppose a policy which is said to be "in the national interest", does that make you disloyal to your fellow citizens?

The national interest is commonly said to be the primary motivation for a nation's foreign policy. This implies two claims:

1. That the nation has common interests which are clearly expressed to our political leaders (the idea of a unitary state) - that the nation speaks with a clear and common voice about its policy preferences; and
2. That the government can enact policies which accurately reflect and pursue the interests of the broader community.

In most books and articles which discuss foreign policy, the concept of the national interest is assumed. But it is rarely defined. Should we presuppose the existence of national interests or first ask whether such an idea can actually exist? Does a nation have common interests? And who defines the national interest?

According to Gyngell & Wesley (p. 26), the national interest is both the ultimate foreign policy goal and the ultimate test of policy legitimacy:

the national interest is a subjective understanding of the common good of a society - one that is more compelling and enduring than short-term preferences or sectional demands - to which all foreign policy must ultimately be orientated. At another level, the national interest acts as an objective gauge of the appropriateness of a given foreign policy, an "iron necessity which binds governments and governed alike", the loss of sight of which constitutes the utmost failure of foreign policy. For Australia, as for most states, the national interest has invariably been defined as a combination of national security plus national prosperity, with the occasional dash of national values.

There is little to argue with here. What is contested, however, is the extent to which governments faithfully pursue the interests of the whole community. In a complex modern society with conflicting interests and discordinant voices, can policies be devised and pursued which serve the interests of all?

The other headings in this paper are:

• Influences on Australian foreign policy
• Policy making and the foreign policy elite in Australia
• Notes on contemporary Australian foreign policy
• The perils of the US alliance
• Consequences of the US alliance

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