Dear Editor,
Lately a group of persons have been writing letters about “national interests.” That is put forward as the supreme factor determining a country’s foreign policy. I see grave danger in that position.
In the first place it comes into conflict with international laws which were designed to protect national interests. If the authors of the theory of “National Interests” being supreme are correct then they must accept that for all other countries.
In reality those who pursue that line will find themselves on the same side with Israel which claims its genocide of Palestinian people, the deliberate targeting of children, etc and the seizure of territories not only in Palestine but in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, etc. Israel claims that it is in their national interest to do so.
To give them a free hand to continue the ethnic cleansing of Palestine they and the United States are pursuing policies to destroy international institutions such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Court (ICC) and even the United Nations (UN). That is supposed to be in their national interests.
Pursuing the line of the supremacy of national Interest is accepting the position of might is right. For small countries this means re-colonisation, the loss of sovereignty.
Is that good for the world?
Elevating national interest above principles is actually removing one of the most potent instruments from the hands of developing countries, in particular that is the question of solidarity. It is telling us that we should be silent about the abuse of the Cuban people by the United States, we must blame the Cubans for standing up for their freedom, we must blame them for the more than six decades of economic blockade.
Extending that logic further it means that we must not struggle to get a greater share of our natural resources, our oil must be pumped out and feed the petrochemical industry of other countries, our gold must be refined abroad and sold at handsome profits. In other words, we must remain producers of raw materials and never become an industrialised country. Why? Because the US and others see it as in their national interest to keep us underdeveloped and to remain forever a feeder for their elite lifestyles.
So I remain convinced that it is in our best interest to champion the importance and supremacy of international law. International law cannot be harmful to our national Interests.
I believe too that the principle of solidarity should not be abandoned. We must continue to forge unity with countries that are fighting for their right to life and justice, peoples fighting for the fundamental principles of the United Nations i.e. “The Right of Nations to Self-Determination.”
When a country abandons “International Laws” and principles such as solidarity then it is accepting its own re-colonisation.
Yours faithfully,
Donald Ramotar
Former President of Guyana
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