The State, War, and the State of War

by Kalevi J. Holsti

Why do we have Rwandas, Bosnias, and Somalias? This book explores the sources of such bitter, prolonged conflicts that result in immense human tragedies of civilian deaths and mass refugee flows. The author argues that such conflicts, and not wars between states, are the wars of the future. What can the United Nations and other international institutions do about them? Can organizations designed to manage conflicts between states successfully manage wars whose origins are domestic? The author develops some ideas about conflict resolution and peace derived from such recent experiences of war.

Genres: Politics, Political Science, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published August 28, 1996

About the author

Kal Holsti (PhD Stanford, 1961) retired in July 2000, but is now a Research Associate with the Centre for International Relations in the Liu Institute. His areas of special interest are international relations theory, security studies, and foreign policy analysis. He is a former editor of the International Studies Quarterly, co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Political Science, and former President of both the Canadian Political Science Association and the International Studies Association. He has taught as a visiting professor at the University of Hawaii, the International University of Japan, Kyoto University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and at McGill University. He was also a visiting scholar at the Australian National University in 1983. Between 1984 and 1986 he was an appointee of the Governor General to the Governing Council, Canadian International Institute for Peace and Security

Holsti was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1983, and named University Killam Professor at the University of British Columbia in 1997. He was the seventh scholar to receive this status in the history of the university. In 2005, he was elected a foreign member of the Finnish Academy of Sciences and Letters. He is the first Canadian to be so honoured.

He has authored articles in all the major journals of his fields, as well as numerous chapters in edited volumes. His major books include International Politics: A Framework for Analysis (7 editions), Why Nations Realign: Foreign Policy Restructuring since World War II (1983), The Dividing Discipline: Hegemony and Pluralism in International Theory (1985), Change in the International System (1991), Peace and War: Armed Conflict and International Order (1991), The State, War, and the State of War (1996), and Taming the Sovereigns: Institutional Change in International Politics (2004). Cambridge University Press published the last three titles. His most recent publication is a collection of his essays, edited by Adam Jones, Politica Mundial: Cambio y Conflicto, Mexico City: Centro de Investigacion y Docencia Economicas, 2005.

Reviews

[Marhamah]

Central thesis was good, made sense. Interesting to see analytical tools on intrastate war rather than interstate. Realism doesnt seem to hold much of a foundation here. Was eye opening and thought provoking as well.

[Dylan D · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for being excellently written. genuinely, holsti is one seriously compelling (and simple to understand) writer in a field that is far too often dense and overly contrived.

maybe the pinnacle of historical narrativization in political science. i could give this to a 12 a year old and they'd understand upwards of 80%. holsti isn't removing substance, but using language that is both digestible AND meaningful. it's a wonderful synthesis of comparative and international politics, with a touch of political theory/economy sprinkled in. admittedly i found his writing more compelling when it was talking about history rather than politics, although i've perhaps read a little too much politics of late.

is his analysis solid? yes, of course. do i agree with the degree to which he emphasizes state legitimacy as the hallmark distinguishing strong and weak states? not to the extent he sees it, but I understand where he's coming from.

I'm not as sympathetic to his claim of the latin american case being being a 'zone of peace', akin to europe or north america though. so while the FARC/shining path (which he does address) constitute 'internal wars' from holsti's perspective, how can we truly compare south america to europe or north america as a place of relative peace. yes, there's no interstate wars or particular secessionist conflicts (which holsti makes clear time and again), but the capacity of violence and armed struggle is nevertheless persistent; this 'chance' that conflict breaks out in the south american case doesn't seem like a holistically apt case for a continent of 'no wars'? not to mention the various interventions, government overthrows, or domestic conditions including drug trafficking or crime levels in these respective countries.

with that being said, i digress; it's a good book. read it.

[SpaceBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems outdated, but interesting account of "wars of the third kind", and the rise of low-intensity warfare / guerilla war / civil war during C-War and immediately afterwards. Interesting explanations on why South America, though a zone with the characteristics of a 'zone of war' (underdevelopment, corruption, poverty, military rule, etc.) has been a zone of peace in the 20th Century.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those university texts that continues to sit on my shelf, finding surprising uses for my own students in history class. A bit dry at times, but very concise & thorough in its subject matter.