National Interests: The Essence Of Competitions Between Countries

The competitions between countries are a constant theme in international relations. National interests come into existence simultaneously with the emergence of nations. National interest is a concept frequently referred to. The pursuit and maintenance of national interests are the starting point and goal of international political behaviors, and they also serve as the bases of strategies and policies at home and abroad. An accurate judgment of national interests is closely related to a country's fate. When it comes to the determination and evaluation of the national interests, actual conditions including subjective and objective conditions, goals and intentions should be taken into account, and then strategic decisions that are beneficial to maximize national interests can be made.National competitions are a constant theme in international relations, while peaceful coexistence and cooperation between countries are temporary and relative. Thus, it seems sound to suggest that ideological aggression only account partly for national competitions in international relations and national interests are the essence of and key to these competitions.This paper makes use of the typical examples of international relations between European countries in modern times to illustrate the essence and actual manifestation of national interests.