national interest

national interest (plural national interests)

1. (politics) An economic, military, or cultural goal of a country.
   • 1939 November, Charles E. Lee, “Railways and the War — I”, in Railway Magazine, page 313:

     While it was not in the national interest to disclose details of the exhaustive plans made to enable the railway organisations to meet possible eventualities, certain information was made public in July indicating some of the activities in which the railways were directly concerned and the steps they were taking.