Overview Recapping the Realist Argument Kants Perpetual Peace
Wilsons League of Nations
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Realism The international political system is anarchic Anarchy
is a self-help system States act to maximize their security Power
is the key to maximizing security War is a consequence of attempts
to protect perceived challenges to power or to increase deficits of
power Peace is a consquence of a balance of power among the major
states in the system
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Immanuel Kant Prussian born (1724- 1804) Born, lived, and died
in Knigsburg, never travelling more than 50 miles from his home One
of the leading minds of the Enlightenment
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Europe 1800 Knigsberg
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Knigsburg/Kaliningrad
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Immanuel Kant Attended a religious (Pietist) school from age 8
to 16 before enrolling in University of Knigsburg (1740) His mom
died a few years before; dad couldnt afford to pay, so he had to
take job tutoring and to rely on aid from relatives Quits school in
1747 because he couldnt afford it and takes up job as tutor to the
children of various wealthy families in the area
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Immanuel Kant In 1755 (31 years old!) he goes back to
university and completes his studies Spent next 15 years working as
a lecturer at the university (rather than as a professor); turned
down professorships at the university and at University of Jena In
1770 he accepts position as professor of logic and metaphysics at
University of Knigsburg, and stays in that position for next 27
years.
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Kants Perpetual Peace Whether this satirical inscription on a
Dutch innkeeper's sign upon which a burial ground was painted had
for its object mankind in general, or the rulers of states in
particular, who are insatiable of war, or merely the philosophers
who dream this sweet dream, it is not for us to decide
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Kants Perpetual Peace But one condition the author of this
essay wishes to lay down. The practical politician assumes the
attitude of looking down with great self- satisfaction on the
political theorist as a pedant whose empty ideas in no way threaten
the security of the state, inasmuch as the state must proceed on
empirical principles; so the theorist is allowed to play his game
without interference from the worldly-wise statesman...
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Kants Perpetual Peace Such being his attitude, the practical
politician-- and this is the condition I make--should at least act
consistently in the case of a conflict and not suspect some danger
to the state in the political theorist's opinions which are
ventured and publicly expressed without any ulterior purpose. By
this clausula salvatoria the author desires formally and
emphatically to deprecate herewith any malevolent interpretation
which might be placed on his words.
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Preliminary Articles 1."No Treaty of Peace Shall Be Held Valid
in Which There Is Tacitly Reserved Matter for a Future War What
conditions would have to exist among nations for this preliminary
article to be realized?
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Preliminary Articles 2."No Independent States, Large or Small,
Shall Come under the Dominion of Another State by Inheritance,
Exchange, Purchase, or Donation" What conception of the state and
sovereignty must exist for this preliminary article to be
realized?
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Europe 1800
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Preliminary Articles 3."Standing Armies (miles perpetuus) Shall
in Time Be Totally Abolished" Are standing armies necessary? What
alternatives are there? What conditions are necessary for these
alternatives to be realized?
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Preliminary Articles 4. "National Debts Shall Not Be Contracted
with a View to the External Friction of States (States should not
take on debt to finance military growth) Why is this sort of debt
so dangerous?
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Preliminary Articles 5."No State Shall by Force Interfere with
the Constitution or Government of Another State" Why should states
refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of other states?
Are there exceptions to this rule?
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Preliminary Articles 6."No State Shall, during War, Permit Such
Acts of Hostility Which Would Make Mutual Confidence in the
Subsequent Peace Impossible: Such Are the Employment of Assassins
(percussores), Poisoners (venefici), Breach of Capitulation, and
Incitement to Treason (perduellio) in the Opposing State"
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Preliminary Articles What damage do these tools do in
peacetime? Why should states refrain from using them?
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Preliminary Articles It follows that a war of extermination, in
which the destruction of both parties and of all justice can
result, would permit perpetual peace only in the vast burial ground
of the human race.
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Definitive Articles The state of peace among men living side by
side is not the natural state (status naturalis); the natural state
is one of war. This does not always mean open hostilities, but at
least an unceasing threat of war. A state of peace, therefore, must
be established, for in order to be secured against hostility it is
not sufficient that hostilities simply be not committed; and,
unless this security is pledged to each by his neighbor (a thing
that can occur only in a civil state), each may treat his neighbor,
from whom he demands this security, as an enemy.
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Definitive Articles "The Civil Constitution of Every State
Should Be Republican What makes a state republican?
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Definitive Articles This constitution is established, firstly,
by principles of the freedom of the members of a society (as men);
secondly, by principles of dependence of all upon a single common
legislation (as subjects); and, thirdly, by the law of their
equality (as citizens). The republican constitution, therefore, is,
with respect to law, the one which is the original basis of every
form of civil constitution. The only question now is: Is it also
the one which can lead to perpetual peace?
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Definitive Articles Why are republics more prone to peace, and
nonrepublics to war? Would a world composed entirely of republics
act as Kant describes?
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Definitive Articles "The Law of Nations Shall be Founded on a
Federation of Free States What does he mean by Federation
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Definitive Articles This would be a league of nations, but it
would not have to be a state consisting of nations. That would be
contradictory, since a state implies the relation of a superior
(legislating) to an inferior (obeying), i.e., the people, and many
nations in one state would then constitute only one nation. This
contradicts the presupposition, for here we have to weigh the
rights of nations against each other so far as they are distinct
states and not amalgamated into one.
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Federations C B D States A
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Federations SG SG = Sovereign Government
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Federations SG Government that is not Sovereign but to which
each state pledges allegiance Government
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Federations SG Voluntary union of independent states
Government
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Definitive Articles "The Law of World Citizenship Shall Be
Limited to Conditions of Universal Hospitality"
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Definitive Articles Hospitality means the right of a stranger
not to be treated as an enemy when he arrives in the land of
another. One may refuse to receive him when this can be done
without causing his destruction; but, so long as he peacefully
occupies his place, one may not treat him with hostility. It is not
the right to be a permanent visitor that one may demand.
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Definitive Articles Since the narrower or wider community of
the peoples of the earth has developed so far that a violation of
rights in one place is felt throughout the world, the idea of a law
of world citizenship is no high-flown or exaggerated notion. It is
a supplement to the unwritten code of the civil and international
law, indispensable for the maintenance of the public human rights
and hence also of perpetual peace. One cannot flatter oneself into
believing one can approach this peace except under the condition
outlined here.
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Definitive Articles Does this wider community exist today? Are
injustices in one part of the world felt in all other parts?
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First Supplement Kant uses this supplement to extend the
argument in the shorter Articles He provides the underlying
rationale for why he believes perpetual peace is very likely our
future
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First Supplement Nature is designed such that perpetual peace
is inevitable In her mechanical course we see that her aim is to
produce a harmony among men, against their will and indeed through
their discord. As a necessity working according to laws we do not
knw, we call it destiny.
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Wilson and the Community of Power Woodrow Wilson (1856- 1924)
28th President of the U.S Born in Staunton, Virginia, but attended
College of New Jersey (Princeton) Earned degree in political
science (1879), studied law at UVA, and earned a Ph.D. from Johns
Hopkins (1885)
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Wilson and the Community of Power Took a professorship at
Princeton, was eventually elected President of the University 1911
elected as New Jersey governor 1912 elected President of the US
Relected in 1916 Nobel Peace Prize winner 1919
