Social Studies 20-1 Related Issue #2: To what extent should national interest be pursued? Chapter 5: National Interest and Foreign Policy To what extent do national interest and foreign policy shape eachother? Name:
Chapter 5: National Interest and Foreign Policy Related Issue #2: Should nations pursue national interests? Chapter Issue: How do national interest and foreign policy shape each other? How are nationalism and national interest related? (Pages 116-119) To begin, please read page 116 and look at the photos and captions on page 116-117. (Figures 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, and 5-5 on page 117). Please examine these three questions and reflect on your own personal answers.. *How important is my physical safety and personal security? *How important is my economic well-being and future prosperity? *How important are my values, beliefs, and culture? People who govern democratic communities and nations make decisions based on what is in the interests of their community or nation. Whether a person s nationalism is based on a shared ethnicity and culture or shared beliefs and values, they want certain benefits for themselves and their communities. National interest may focus on one or more of the following: Please summarize each of these 3 sections from page 117. * Economic prosperity:
* security and safety: * beliefs and values: Changing Views of National Interest (page 118) Just as people have different understandings of nationalism, they also have different ideas about what is in the national interest. Looking at Figure 5-2, the Israelis shopping in the market might be concerned about ethnic and civic national ties and how this will influence their economic well-being. But the young citizen of Beirut in Figure 5-4 is probably much more concerned about her government s ability to make sure her family is safe. And the people of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia who are parading through the streets on camels are celebrating the end of Ramadan. Having this ability helps support the beliefs and values of their nation. National interest is not static and unchanging. Events inside a country, such as a natural disaster or a proposed change in laws, can affect people s opinion about what is in the national interest. Events outside a country, such as the sudden flare-up of armed conflict between neighbouring states or the peaceful settlement of this conflict, can also change people s ideas about what is in their national interest. Complete the chart Differing Views of National Interest on the next page from page 112.
Differing Views of National Interest Point of View A Canadian who sees Canada as a peacekeeping nation Understanding or Argument A Canadian who sees Canada as a peacemaker Kofi Annan John Spritzler
Condoleezza Rice A Chinese government official Which view do you think would be the most effective way to pursue Canada s national interest? Why? Explain your view of the national interest.
National Interest and Arctic Sovereignty Read page 119 and examine Figures 5-7 and 5-8,. Answer the following questions from page 119: 1. What does national interest often involve? 2. Which five countries lay claim to the islands and land of the North Pole? 3. What did Russia do in August 2007? 4. What symbolic claim did the Russians make to lay claim to the natural resources buried in the north. 5. How far does a countries border extend beyond their coastline out into the ocean in which they have sovereign control over? 6. How far off a countries coastline does the country control the resources?
7. What is the first of two factors to highlight the importance of claiming sovereignty in the Arctic and what is the unintended result that is occurring? 8. What is the second factor that has made Arctic sovereignty an issue? 9. How much of the world s undiscovered oil and gas is estimated to be embedded in the Arctic s soil? How has national interest shaped foreign policy? (Pages 122-129) Question: What are some of our school s policies? A policy is a plan of action that has been deliberately chosen to guide or influence choices and decisions. A country s government is responsible for developing both domestic policy and foreign policy. Briefly describe the difference between domestic and foreign policy below:
Foreign policy decisions may have short-term effects on a small number of people or long-term effects on millions of people. Some foreign policy decisions made at the end of World War I, for example, are still affecting the world today. Many people believe that today s conflicts in the Middle Eastern countries can be traced directly to the foreign policy decisions of the United States and European countries as they pursued their national interests at the end of W.W.I. Examine Figure 5-9 on page 122. It shows how domestic and international events shape - and are shaped by - nationalism (the pursuit of national interest and foreign policy). All of these can awaken nationalist feelings. These nationalist feelings can cause citizens to revise their opinions about what is in the national interest. When citizens ideas change, governments may respond by changing their foreign policies. National Interest and W.W.I Peace Settlements (Page 123) Questions: 1. Where was W.W.I fought? 2. What was the first side called mentioned in your text and which country led this side? 3. What was the reason these countries were called the Central Powers? 4. What was the other side called and which country led this side? 5. What had the world never experienced prior to W.W.I? 6. How many people died and what were the costs of war? 7. What flourished in Europe prior to W.W.I?
8. What do many historians believe caused W.W.I? 9. What did European governments believe was in their national interest? 10. What did European countries foreign policies involve at this time? 11. What did these alliances agree to do? 12. Why is W.W.I considered to be a very frustrating war for ordinary citizens of countries? 13. In which empires did the people there have NO say as to their government foreign policy decision making? 14. Why did Canada join in the fight? 15. How long did W.W.I last and when did it end? How did it end? 16. What event sparked the beginning of WWI? Who was the assassin? 17. Who was killed? Where were they from? 18. In what city did this event take place?
Treaty Negotiations in France (page 123) 1. What was World War I fought over? 2. Where did peace talks take place and for how long? 3. Which countries wanted to punish Germany? 4. Who were the leaders of these respective nations? 5. Which other country was involved in the peace talks and who was their leader? 6. What was the result of these three nations making many of the decisions? 7. Which treaty involved Germany and the discussion of financial, military, and territorial penalties? 8. List the four things that the Treaty of Versailles required Germany to do:
9. Who was the Prime Minister of Canada at the end of W.W.I? 10. What did he demand and win for Canada? Next, please read Making a Difference: Woodrow Wilson - Visionary or Dreamer? on page 124. Is Woodrow Wilson a Visionary or Dreamer? Explain. Point form is fine if you d like.
The View From Here (page 125) We will read page 125 together as a class and please answer the following questions below regarding the opinions presented by the three speakers, John Maynard Keynes, Joachim von Ribbentrop, and Margaret MacMi"an. 1) What common thread weaves through the words of all three speakes and writers? 2) What evidence supports the idea that revenge was a motive in the Treaty of Versailles? 3) How did the Treaty of Versailles fan the flames of nationalism in Germany? 4) Hypothetically, if Woodrow Wilson s 14 Points for peace had been accepted, do you think Germans would have felt differently? Explain!
National Interests after World War I (page 126) 1. What did many Canadians do once W.W.I ended? 2. What happened to veterans when the returned to Canada when the war ended? 3. What type of domestic concerns did this create? 4. What other nation-states faced similar concerns? 5. What was a major concern for Great Britain? 6. What problem emerged for the French government? Nationalism and National Interests in the Middle East (page 126) 1. What did Arabs suffer from prior to World War I? 2. What was Arab nationalism based on and what was the goal of the Arabs? 3. What did many Arab groups to make their dream reality during World War I? What were they promised in return? 4. Who led Arab fighters against the Ottoman Empire and Germany? 5. Who did he help in 1917 and which part of the Arab world did they gain control of?
6. What had Britain and France secretly agreed to do? 7. What did Faysal attempt to do in 1919? What was the result? 8. How would you feel if you were an Arab who had been promised self-government after W.W.I? 9. How do you think the broken promises of Britain and France would have affected your feelings of Arab nationalism? 10. What would your attitude be towards Britain and France? 11. Which territory and peoples did the French control in the Middle East following W.W.I? 12. Which territory and peoples did the British control in the Middle East following W.W.I? 13. What is the country of Palestine known as today? 14. Which countries did President Woodrow Wilson support?
15. What new technologies were introduced during WWI and what the result? 16. What was France and Britain s plan concerning the Middle East following the First World War? 17. How did this affect the Arab peoples of the world? 18. What is the Balfour Declaration? 19. What was the result for Turkey following the war? 20. How have the foreign policies of Britain and France - as well as the pursuit of their own national interest - helped create resentment among the Arab people towards the western world?
How has foreign policy shaped national interest? (Pages 124-127) Picture nationalism, foreign policy, and national interest as a web that is complex and changes constantly. The pursuit of national interest often shapes foreign policy, but foreign policy can also shape the pursuit of national interest. A government's foreign policies can affect its citizens' safety and security, their economic future, and their values and culture. As an example, when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia in 1914, that foreign policy decision affected the personal security, economic prosperity, and culture of everyone in the Austo-Hungarian Empire for decades to come. When Britain declared war on Austria-Hungary and Germany, that foreign policy decision affected the security, economic prosperity, and culture of Canadians as well as British citizens. Two examples to examine how foreign policy shapes national interest are as follows: Foreign Policy and Contending National Interests in Peru - Page 130. 9/11 and Canada in Afghanistan - Page 131. Debate over Afghanistan (Page 132) Read page 132 to get a good look at the different viewpoints that many Canadians hold towards our government's mission in that country. As well, examine Figure 5-20 (cartoon). What do you think the cartoonist is saying about the debate over Canada's foreign policy with respect to Afghanistan? National Interests and Women's Rights (page 133) 1. What were girls and women NOT allowed to do when the Taliban controlled Afghanistan? 2. Who is Sima Samar? 3. Why will changing Afghanistan take time?