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The State, War, and the State of War. By K. J. HOLSTI. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Pp. xiv + 254. $59-95 (cloth); $18.95 (paper).
K. J. Holsti's State, War, and the State of War is the fifty-first volume in the Cambridge Studies in International Relations series, a project of the Cambridge University Press and the British International Studies Association. The series was launched to publish new scholarship in international studies and has an enviable record in anticipating and treating topics that have gained the spotlight in current scholarly debate, including the alleged decline of the state, globalization, the resurgence of civil society, and methodological issues.
Holsti quite rightly points out that while interstate wars have been declining, the number of internal wars has been increasing. He believes a major reason for this is the growing problem of weak states. Since 1945 the criteria for being a sovereign state have been muddled or murky, and many have arisen that lack the glue to maintain an identity. The right to rule is unclear, and their administrations have little legitimacy. This builds, as he acknowledges,...