Hendrik Spruyt and ChaparlesTilly Present Different Arguments
The rise of the modern system of states is a contentious topic among International Relations scholars. Schools of thought differ in both their explanation of when the new system had its origins and why it prospered over other systems of international organization. In this essay I shall examine two of such arguments, Hendrik Spruyt's Economic Rational argument as presented in his article 'Institutional Selection in International Relations: State Anarchy as Order', and Charles Tilly's realist portrayal of 'War Making and State Making as Organised Crime'. Spruyt's article concentrates on the question of why the sovereign state triumphed over the other forms of organization. In doing so it outlines a series of internal and external elements that make the sovereign territorially defined state a superior alternative to city-states or city-leagues. Tilly focuses more on explaining the system of states, using a helpful analogy depicting the system as an organised crime racket. He focuses on the question of what makes states, concluding, with his realist argument that war is the determining factor. Both articles provide plausible arguments in particular instances but neither argument can sustain a convincing case in other instances
" -Robert Gilpin Hendrick Spruyt recognises the existence of city-leagues, city-states and territorially defined sovereign states and through Gilpin's epigraph he expresses his reasoning for the selection of the territorially defined sovereign state as the most appropriate organization to suit the peoples interests. Spruyt's arguments explain the later stages of formation and development adequately in describing the institutional framework that was constructed. Some combination of these four activities are present in the State. This point, for me, is the downfall of the whole realist argument and I believe that to put this argument in today's terms, the role of war in international politics, especially in the arena of economically advanced countries plays very little part. " He attributes the rise of the sovereign state as a result of "A great lord [making] war so effectively as to become dominant in a substantial territory. I feel too much emphasis is placed on war, which makes it much harder for Tilly to explain how states develop over time, especially with their treaties and agreements. These and other flaws make neither argument particularly compelling even though both effectively describe various events and times in the process of state formation. In this way he supported the natural selection process by arguing that the state had a far better organisational structure and for this reason was best suited to advance the peoples interests. The process takes on the identity of a Darwinian natural selection and Spruyt examines the roles of the internal and external institutions and structures, which aided the proliferation of the sovereign state. In opposition to Spruyt's institutional argument Tilly focuses on only one institution of the state. The institutional framework is far too advanced for war to achieve anything but damage to a country, it is too costly and no rational state would take the risk. Tilly affirms the case that "War makes states" and describes the rise of the sovereign state with an analogy, likening the system of sovereign states to a protection racket. Possibly a combination of the arguments with a better adaptability to change would better satisfy the changing environment of world politics. For this reason I find Tilly's analogy of the racketeering and protection compelling for the early stages of state formation. I would suggest that both arguments lack the real convincing power to explain the system of states origins, the system's development over time and the current position of the world's system of states, as it exists today.
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Acceptance Essays
