> I know you and I are fine with this self-interest, but I believe it would shock many who believe their countries are somehow taking the high road in the debate.
We are fine with this. I'd like to clarify something though. When I say I am fine with acting upon self interest, I am talking about the long term interest of the people. Often times self interest in politics is defines as big business' interest. In fact it is often taken for granted that what is good for them is good for the nation. I don't see it that way. There will be times that the interests coincide and times that they don't.
Also, I believe the government should behave from a strong ethical stand point. Ethics is not just a good conscience measure. It is extremely important to our survival. So much so that evolution has placed a genetic bias for ethical behavior within us. The importance of this is often lost on most people. Think of all the skills that you'd like to have and you don't or even all the skills that you deem essential for your survival but you had to learn (telepathy, flying, math, driving, computer skills, management skills, etc.) Now look at the qualities that you are born with (eating, sex drive, breathing, language). Ethics (and compassion) is in the second category (somewhere between language and breathing). So I think it is important to pay attention to it.
Now if it turns out that somehow as a nation we had certain obligations that proved extremely costly to meet, or if somehow our survival was dependent upon competition for very limited resources that belonged to someone else, then I could excuse the government for acting unethically in the nation's interest. But regular hand waving will not bring me under the banner of "national interest" because I don't really believe most of the times it is in the nation's interest.
ST |
