The actions of a nation are those which were caused by it’s governance structure like your actions are those which are caused by your brain. A fever or your stomach growling is not your action in the same sense that actions by lower-level officials and large companies are not the actions of a nation—particularly when those officials and companies are subsequently censured or there is some later attempt to rein them in. Actions of the duly recognized head of state acting in a national capacity are actions of the nation unless they are subsequently over-ruled by rest of the governance structure—which is pretty much the equivalent of your having an accident or making a mistake.
A nation has explicit goals when it declares those goals through it’s governance structure.
A nation has implicit goals when it’s governance structure appears to be acting in a fashion resembling rational behavior for having those goals and there is not an alternative explanation.
Ah. Now I see your point.
The actions of a nation are those which were caused by it’s governance structure like your actions are those which are caused by your brain. A fever or your stomach growling is not your action in the same sense that actions by lower-level officials and large companies are not the actions of a nation—particularly when those officials and companies are subsequently censured or there is some later attempt to rein them in. Actions of the duly recognized head of state acting in a national capacity are actions of the nation unless they are subsequently over-ruled by rest of the governance structure—which is pretty much the equivalent of your having an accident or making a mistake.
A nation has explicit goals when it declares those goals through it’s governance structure.
A nation has implicit goals when it’s governance structure appears to be acting in a fashion resembling rational behavior for having those goals and there is not an alternative explanation.