ABSTRACT

The national interest of a state is the intrinsic goal pursued by the state in order to maximise what is selfishly best for it. Every state has its national interest entrenched within its political system to ensure its security and territorial integrity. As the oldest paradigm in understanding international relations, political realism holds that the international system is an anarchy characterised by self help in security matters. States strive to maximise their power, traditionally interpreted in terms of military might. Therefore, national interest has been expressly understood in terms of power as noted by scholars of international relations. Sovereignty is jealously guarded and national power is optimised to enhance state security holistically. This research proposes to work within the framework of neoclassical realism theory which holds that state power is influenced by both international and domestic realities. It is in the interest of the state to advance holistically to be able to provide for its population. Kenya is a state in the east coast of Africa, positioned along one of the global danger zones of the world where high seas piracy thrives. At the north-west of Kenya lies the Sudan, the biggest African country yet embroiled in civil war. Opportunities lie on Kenya's way as a neighbour to Sudan, a country endowed with oil resources. Kenya's support for the peace efforts in Sudan are self evident. National interest is at the core of the hand of generosity extended to Southern Sudan. In assessing the trade interests pursued by Kenya in Southern Sudan, the research proposes to describe the assistance extended to the Government of Southern Sudan, Kenya's commitment to the peace initiative, the likely economic benefits accruing from oil in Southern Sudan, market for Kenyan goods and services and an end to the refugee question from Sudan. To put all these into perspective, the research proposes to collect data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nairobi Embassy of Southern Sudan, and Ministry of Trade, scholars in History, Economics and International Relations. Document analysis will also be used in defining the interest. To achieve this, the research will employ use of questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussion and literature review as data collection instruments. The qualitative survey report will be presented in from of an analytical description. The findings will be instrumental in describing the realism of Kenya's engagement in Southern Sudan, and thus encourage Kenya's business class into Southern Sudan. Kenya is also likely to benefit from fairer terms in procurement of oil resources from the northern neighbour. The research also seeks to assess the validity of realism as a paradigm in understanding international politics.