Req 3a — Current Events & National Interests
This requirement asks you to connect the dots between what is happening in the news and the bigger forces that drive how countries behave. You are not just reading a headline — you are analyzing why countries act the way they do.
What Is a “National Interest”?
A national interest is anything a country considers important to its survival, prosperity, or identity. Every government makes decisions based on what it believes will protect or advance its national interests. These interests generally fall into four categories:
Security
Security means keeping the country and its people safe from threats — military attacks, terrorism, cyberattacks, and more. When a country builds alliances (like NATO), signs arms treaties, or strengthens its military, it is protecting its security interests.
Economy
A strong economy means jobs, trade, and prosperity. Countries pursue economic interests through trade agreements, tariffs, foreign investment, and control of natural resources like oil, water, and minerals.
Values
Values include things like democracy, human rights, religious freedom, and the rule of law. Countries sometimes promote their values abroad — through diplomacy, foreign aid, or international organizations — because they believe those values make the world more stable.
Health and Well-being
The health of a country’s citizens is a national interest too. Pandemics, food shortages, clean water access, and environmental disasters all affect a nation’s strength and stability. International cooperation on health issues — like the response to COVID-19 or efforts to eradicate polio — shows how health connects countries.
How to Analyze a Current Event
When you pick a world event to discuss with your counselor, use this framework:
Current Event Analysis Framework
Questions to guide your research
- What is happening? Summarize the event in 2–3 sentences.
- Which countries are involved? Who are the major players?
- What national interests are at stake for each country? (Security, economy, values, health?)
- How are the countries’ relationships with each other affecting the situation?
- Is there an international organization involved? (UN, NATO, WHO, etc.)
- How might this event affect ordinary people in those countries?
- How might it affect you or the United States?
Examples of National Interests in Action
Here are some examples showing how national interests drive real-world events. You do not need to use these — pick any current event that interests you — but these show the pattern:
Trade Disputes
When countries disagree about tariffs or trade rules, it is usually because their economic interests conflict. One country might want to protect its farmers by taxing imported food, while another wants open markets to sell its products. Trade disputes affect prices, jobs, and the availability of goods in both countries.
Climate Agreements
Climate change affects every country, but not equally. Island nations face rising sea levels. Oil-producing countries depend on fossil fuels for their economy. When countries negotiate climate agreements, they are balancing environmental values against economic interests — and the result depends on each country’s priorities.
Humanitarian Crises
When a natural disaster or conflict creates a refugee crisis, countries must decide how to respond. Their decisions involve security (border control), values (human rights and compassion), economy (cost of aid), and health (preventing disease outbreaks in refugee camps).
You have learned how to analyze a current event through the lens of national interests. Now let’s zoom in on a single country and see how its geography shapes its place in the world.