Quite often, you'll hear someone say that we need to pursue a course of action in order to protect or advance our [the United States'] national interests. But one thing you almost never hear is a definition, comprehensive or even minimal, of what constitutes America's national interests. Is there a political component? An economic component? If so, to what degree? Do we consider the interests just of our citizens or of organizations (such as corporations) as well? In other words, who is 'we'? Does the phrase 'national interests' strictly refer to the physical security of Americans on American territory or is something broader included?
In the current national discourse, there's much discussion about how to protect America's national interests and how far we should go in doing so. But how can you have a productive debate on such a question when no one really delineates what those national interests are? How can you protect something when you don't know what you're protecting?
To rectify this problem, I'd like to invite readers to offer their ideal of what America's national interests should be.
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