War can be seen as both a scourge of mankind and a central institution of global politics. Despite the terrible suffering and loss of life which wars cause they also can be seen as performing important functions for the ordering and maintenance of international society. War has been used to maintain the balance of power. That is, to prevent one state or a group of states from disrupting the status quo, through the use of violence.
Without effective means of a peaceful settlement of disputes, war has provided a mechanism through which states can implement a rule of law in their favour or redress unjust practices. In the absence of an international police force, states have reserved a monopoly on the use of force in order to preserve and maintain their interests. This double perspective (the horrors of war and its social role in global politics) haunts us today in a world where the possibility of nuclear war threatens to spell the end of civilisation. The United States and its allies may possible attack Iraq any minute from now, The prospect of peace in the Middle East is in its lowest ebb ever, India and Pakistan are threatening each other. We live then with the ever-present reality of war and the fear of total annih
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