What interests you in Kenya?

Who should define the national interests? The government, the Congress, the judiciary,  the 1%, or the 99% by referendum on vital issues, like war, taxes, restriction of liberties.

• Who should define the national interests: Spying on enemy countries is in our national interests. Enemy countries spying on us is against our national interests. Giving arms to Muslim mujahideen to fight Russians is in our national interests' supporting Muslim Brotherhood rising against Egyptian despot is not in our national interest. Establishing democracy in Syria is in our national interests; but supporting Saudi Arabia to help Bahraini government to suppress democratic movement in Bahrain is not in our national interests. Economic sanctions against Communist Cuba is in our national interests, but strengthening US-Communist China economical relations is also in our national interests. Removing the Berlin Wall was in our national interests; opposing Israel to use US taxpayers' money to build a wall in the heart of Gaza was not in our national interests. Supporting women's rights in China, Iran and Pakistan is in our national interests, ignoring women's rights in Saudi Arabia and Israeli Occupied Territories is not. And one can go on citing long list of these contradictions. In an ideal democratic civilized society, civilians are the masters, and the rest of the institutions, such as government, the elected representatives, the judiciary, the military, the academia, and the media, are all supposed to be serving the society. That means the "national interest" should only mean the interests of civilians, that is, the security, safety, liberties and prosperity of the civilians. But who has the right to decide what is in the interest of the civilians? Is it in the interest of Chinese people to allow Chinese Government to spy on US? Is it in the interest of American public to let US government to spy on China? Logically the answer to both questions should be either Yes or No; but not yes to one and No to the other, depending to which country the response belongs. When one considers the universal moral values and human rights, like personal integrity, respect for human dignity and justice as the essential component of a civilized society, should there be contradictions in the use of the phrase, "for the sake of our national interests"?

• Answer:

  Nobody if at all possible. Many (most?) of the problems in governance is presuming "the national interest" exists. Instead we should attempt to let people determine their own interests and live their own lives in accordance with them.