ABSTRACT
Foreign policy has been defined as ‘the range of actions taken by varying sections of the government of a state in its relations with other bodies similarly acting on the international stage, supposedly in order to advance the national interest’ (Reynolds 1980). The term ‘national interest’ is taken to refer to the overall interest of a specific national society, its survival and the maximization of its welfare. It goes without saying that although various national objectives at any given time are mutually incompatible (e.g. Britain’s desire to preserve commercial independence but at the same time derive benefits from its membership of the European Economic Community), each is justifiable in terms of serving the national interest, and each is seen as a means to achieve an end.
