"razón de estado"

Question

What is the best way to translate "razón de estado"? as "reason of state" or "state reason"?

Thank you.

Answer 1

I would like to see the context, but if I'm correct it means "national interest", which is referred to as a country's political, economic, military, cultural or social goals/plans/ambitions.

Answer 2

Some contrary views of mine.

 

The term "reasons of state" has always held a sinister connotation for me. For that reason, I looked in my now old dictionary, (The New Collins Concise English Dictionary, 1st published 1982) where this definition of reasons of state appears:

  "Political justification for an immoral act"

The contrary view of mine is that "reasons of state" and "in the national interest" do not have the same connotation. Rather I might say that while some bureaucrat may believe that a particulr action or policy is in the national interest, it can still be done for "reasons of state" that are not revealed to the population and may even be opposed to or contrary to the national interest.

 

Also note that when used in English the word reasons is pluralized so that the expression is reasons of state.

 

Only for the purpose of greater certainty, Lupin19 included in the question the words "state reason" and I suggest this concept or idea would never be expressed in this way.

Answer 3

as Isabella pointed out, the national interest, often referred to by the French term raison d'État, (razòn de Estado) is a country's goals and ambitions whether economic, military, or cultural.

Answer 4

It is to do with the policies that the State creates and how the State has the final say in decision making.