Death of the Westphalia State System, Implications for Future Military Employment

Abstract

Abstract : This monograph will address two juxtaposed themes: first, the primacy of state sovereignty, the founding assumption of contemporary international relations, embodied by the principles of Westphalia; and second the assertion arising out of globalization that a conventionally focused military designed to protect those principles seems to be increasingly anachronistic in a globalized, interdependent world. The thesis of this paper is that globalization and non-state actor influence will continue, but so will the sovereignty of nation states, with nationalism and various other ideologies remaining an over-riding value and belief system for the foreseeable future on the world stage requiring the US military to always be ready to conduct decisive, conventional warfare. The nation-state as defined by Dr. Kalevj Holsti is a combination of traditions, territories, and a recognized government that retains the loyalty of its people is fundamental to understanding the intrinsic power of the state, independent of any potential ability to coerce either internally or externally. A military that can ensure its survival is a key component to ensure a state retains the loyalty of its citizens. This foundation for understanding what the state is, lends to the past and future implications of the Peace of Westphalia and its effect on the sovereignty of states. The term Westphalia and its meaning and framework are often not well defined, or similar to Clausewitz in military discussions it is often quoted, but seldom specifically defined. Many very respected and popular international relations theorists have in recent years speculated on the death of the Westphalia construct given globalization and the apparent rise in power of the non-state actor. These theorists like Thomas Barnett, Thomas Friedman, and Samuel Huntington provide various lenses through which to explore the validity