National Interest as a Key Concept of Foreign Policy Designs: Understanding the Weaknesses of African States South of the Sahara in International Politics (Published)
If we accept the centrality of National Interest as an explanatory concept of states involvement in international politics and the idea that foreign policy is designed for the interest of a country, the weak presence of these states in international politics may be explained partly from the lack of strategic thinking in the use of means to achieve ends (National Interest). Though previous literature establishes the importance of national interest in international relations, this research seeks to establish the correlation between national interest and the weak presence of these states in international politics, that is can the lack of a well-conceived national interest influence the international activities of states? This outcome, primarily caused by a lack of well nurtured national interest, is influenced by both endogenous and exogenous factors related to the nature and characteristics of these states. Therefore, analysis here will not be guided by the fact that these countries do not possess a national interest, rather it will focus on their invisibility in international politics and where they do exist conceived interest is either outdated or framed out of the context of contemporary international politics.
Keywords: end, means, national interest, strategic thinking