On the Purpose of the State
Although it is rather hard to thoroughly understand the specific circumstances that give birth to a nation, there are some characteristics which are common to the birth of almost every nation-state. Arguably the most important of these circumstances is the creation of an army. This is the most important characteristic of the nation-state and, in fact, the very creation of a nation usually comprehends the creation of an army, because it provides the protection that any community most desperately seeks. Without an army the nation cannot be truly sovereign because sovereignty implies having the means to defend itself and not being forced to act or to be acted upon against its will. A community without an army or with a week army will always be exposed to scourges such as mass- murder, mass-rape or slavery, as it has been observed several times throughout history. Therefore it is logical to say that the most important role of the state is to provide protection against aggressors, and establishing the army is usually simultaneous to the birth of the nation state. It is nevertheless ironic how in a world such as ours, made up of armed nation-states designed to protect its citizens from aggression, the human kind as a whole is constantly exposed to war and destruction. There is nothing capable of controlling the nation-sates and therefore a balance of power is created in which the strong are likely to attack the weak, but in which sometimes even the strong are subject to the attack of other strong states, either alone or in coalition with others. The international order is an anarchic system where there is no supreme law except the law of the strongest, and in which every state is always susceptible of being attacked and its citizens are liable to suffer violence from citizens of rival nation-states. The anarchy of our international order leads to a situation of constant fear of war and sporadic outbursts of violent struggle between the people of the world. The international order today is, in fact, Hobbes’ state of nature. However, it is not possible to conceive a community that is independent for a long time and that does not have an army or it is not protected by another state. Whenever an external threat exists, people tend to agree on an arrangement capable of providing mutual protection, henceforth creating an army. It is true that some people are violent, and that often these people combine their efforts to attack other people, therefore forcing the latter to create mutual defence systems, creating by this process an army and a nation-state. The escalating nature of this process leads to the formation of more and more nations that are essentially created to protect their founders from other nations. As time passes, nations tend to become bigger and bigger in order to survive and small nations feel encouraged to form federations, confederations or alliances. This creates a system of anarchy, in which nations permanently seek to achieve a balance of power, never being so weak that they cannot protect themselves against stronger nations. This also means that, theoretically no nation is allowed by the others to hold an exceptional power, unless it is seen as a benign super-power and not regarded as a threat to their security. When we talk of sovereignty, we should in fact be talking of the army. Being sovereign is in effect not to be coerced by others. And the only way to achieve this kind of independence is to be immune of coercion, and as such having a standing army. All the powers of the state are mere derivations of the right of being independent that is guaranteed by the army of the nation. So when looking at a nation’s institutions, the first one to be looked at must be the one that sustains all the others and that institution, for any sovereign nation is its army. The nation is therefore constructed upon its army, and its vital role is to guarantee the protection of its citizens. But there is another function that the nation performs: easing the cohabitation of its citizens. I believe it not to be the most important function of the state, and I certainly think that it is not the reason why citizens create a state. If the nation is founded via a contract, I believe it is the agreement to unite in an armed force destined to assure protection for all. The ease of cohabitation is, even if an important function of the state, not the primary reason for its existence.
Although it is rather hard to thoroughly understand the specific circumstances that give birth to a nation, there are some characteristics which are common to the birth of almost every nation-state. Arguably the most important of these circumstances is the creation of an army. This is the most important characteristic of the nation-state and, in fact, the very creation of a nation usually comprehends the creation of an army, because it provides the protection that any community most desperately seeks. Without an army the nation cannot be truly sovereign because sovereignty implies having the means to defend itself and not being forced to act or to be acted upon against its will. A community without an army or with a week army will always be exposed to scourges such as mass- murder, mass-rape or slavery, as it has been observed several times throughout history. Therefore it is logical to say that the most important role of the state is to provide protection against aggressors, and establishing the army is usually simultaneous to the birth of the nation state. It is nevertheless ironic how in a world such as ours, made up of armed nation-states designed to protect its citizens from aggression, the human kind as a whole is constantly exposed to war and destruction. There is nothing capable of controlling the nation-sates and therefore a balance of power is created in which the strong are likely to attack the weak, but in which sometimes even the strong are subject to the attack of other strong states, either alone or in coalition with others. The international order is an anarchic system where there is no supreme law except the law of the strongest, and in which every state is always susceptible of being attacked and its citizens are liable to suffer violence from citizens of rival nation-states. The anarchy of our international order leads to a situation of constant fear of war and sporadic outbursts of violent struggle between the people of the world. The international order today is, in fact, Hobbes’ state of nature. However, it is not possible to conceive a community that is independent for a long time and that does not have an army or it is not protected by another state. Whenever an external threat exists, people tend to agree on an arrangement capable of providing mutual protection, henceforth creating an army. It is true that some people are violent, and that often these people combine their efforts to attack other people, therefore forcing the latter to create mutual defence systems, creating by this process an army and a nation-state. The escalating nature of this process leads to the formation of more and more nations that are essentially created to protect their founders from other nations. As time passes, nations tend to become bigger and bigger in order to survive and small nations feel encouraged to form federations, confederations or alliances. This creates a system of anarchy, in which nations permanently seek to achieve a balance of power, never being so weak that they cannot protect themselves against stronger nations. This also means that, theoretically no nation is allowed by the others to hold an exceptional power, unless it is seen as a benign super-power and not regarded as a threat to their security. When we talk of sovereignty, we should in fact be talking of the army. Being sovereign is in effect not to be coerced by others. And the only way to achieve this kind of independence is to be immune of coercion, and as such having a standing army. All the powers of the state are mere derivations of the right of being independent that is guaranteed by the army of the nation. So when looking at a nation’s institutions, the first one to be looked at must be the one that sustains all the others and that institution, for any sovereign nation is its army. The nation is therefore constructed upon its army, and its vital role is to guarantee the protection of its citizens. But there is another function that the nation performs: easing the cohabitation of its citizens. I believe it not to be the most important function of the state, and I certainly think that it is not the reason why citizens create a state. If the nation is founded via a contract, I believe it is the agreement to unite in an armed force destined to assure protection for all. The ease of cohabitation is, even if an important function of the state, not the primary reason for its existence.
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