usualcoordina-sinViebraminrmentrates.rbstituteforwarcombinationofproduction,andnremotelYcom-een,heessentialbeenuPtonowis notsulPrising,ricconversionforr ofpoliticalim-enados,oftenso-nationalpoliticalfunctionsoftherizational.Firstofitical"nation"re-deofrelationshiPweusuallycalla,olicycanhavenoorcingitsattitudeacrediblemannerrmpoliticalorgan-rythatitisorgan-)n,aswehavede-thatrecognizethe
THEFUNCTTONSOFwAR39
possibilityofarmedconflict,is itselfthedefiningelementof"trynation'sexistencevis-i-visanyothernation'Sinceitis historicallyaxiomaticthatthe existenceofanyformofweaponryinsuresitsuse,wehaveusedthe word"peace'tas virtuallyslmon)rmouswithdisarmament'Bythesametoken,"\ryar"isvirtuallys)monymouswithna-tionhood.Theeliminationofwarimpliestheinevitableeliminationofnationalsovereigntyandthetraditionalnation-state.The warsystemnotonlyhasbeenessentialto theexistencefnationsasndependentpoliticalentities,buthasbeenequallyindispensableotheirstableinternalpoliticalstructure.Withoutit,nogovernmenthaseverLeenabletoobtainacquiescencenits"legitimacy,"orright toruleitssociety.Thepossibilityof warprovidesth",.rrr"ofexternalnecessitywithoutwhichnogovern-mentcanlongremainin power.Thehistoricalrecordrevealsoneinstanceafteranotherwherethefailureofaregime tomaintainthe credibilityofa warthreatledtoits dissolution,ytheforcesof privateinterest,ofre-actionstosocialinjustice,orofotherdisintegrativeele-ments.The organizationofa societyforthe possibilityofwaris its principalpoliticalstabilizer.t isironicthatthisprimaryfunctionofwarhasbeengenerallyrecog-nizedbyhistoriansonlywhereithasbeenexpresslyacknowledged-inthepiratesocietiesofthe greatcon-querors.Thebasicauthorityof amodernstateovertspeopl€residesnits warpowers'(There is,infact, goodreasontobelievehatcodifiedaw hadits originsn therulesof
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