A Comparative Analysis of the Nature of States: Justice vs. Strength

This essay delves into the nature of states, exploring the tension between being a strong and a just state. The author begins by examining the core motivations of states, highlighting how national interests can sometimes clash with global harmony. The essay then contrasts the viewpoints of Machiavelli, who advocated for a powerful ruler, with Aristotle, who prioritized a just state. Machiavelli's perspective, as outlined in "The Prince," emphasizes the need for a ruler to be powerful, even if it means being cruel, to maintain control. In contrast, Aristotle, in his "Politics," argued that a state's primary responsibility is to ensure the happiness and well-being of its citizens. The essay further discusses the historical debate between these two ideals, referencing the Roman civilization as an example of a power-driven state and the Greek civilization as an advocate for justice. The essay concludes that strong and just states are often incompatible, as a state's strength may come at the expense of its citizens' rights and freedoms, while a just state may be limited in its resources for military strength. The essay uses examples of the Cold War and North Korea to support its arguments.

Running head: NATURE OF STATES
Nature of States
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1NATURE OF STATES
The nature of the states can be easily judged based on their national interest. In this
regard, it can be observed that states are always desirous of pursuing their personal motives
which may or may not be aligned to the maintenance of harmony within the global frame work.
In the cases that the national interest of a particular state does not align with the objective of
world peace and harmony, there is a likely chance that the concerned state would create
problems for the other nation states of the world1. In this scenario, it can be opined that there is a
need for the different nation states of the globe to utilize their power of rationalization and justice
while dealing with any international affairs. All the states are required to maintain a harmonious
relationship with each other in order to ensure their mutual survival. However, often times it can
be seen that such an idealistic situation fails to occur since states are always power hungry in
character2. In this context, the purpose of this essay is to understand the nature of a strong state
and just state and to analyze if these two characters can coexist with one another within the
confines of a single state.
The character of a nation state can find its foundation in the ancient texts of the world. In
the earlier times, several significant political philosophers talked about how a king should behave
like and how he should organize his state so that he can get the maximum efficiency from his
subjects. In this respect, the work of Machiavelli can be brought to the context. He wrote a book
known as “The Prince” whereby he opined that a king should always try to be powerful in
nature3. While describing the different characters that a king should possess, Machiavelli opines
that a prince should never hesitate to be cruel in character. This is due to the reason that the
1 Machiavelli, Niccolò, and Ninian Hill Thomson. Machiavelli: The Prince (Cambridge Texts in the History of
Political Thought). CDED, 2018.
2 Cosans, Christopher E., and Christopher S. Reina. "The Leadership Ethics of Machiavelli’s Prince." Business
Ethics Quarterly 28, no. 3 (2018): 275-300.
3 Hulliung, Mark. Citizen Machiavelli. Routledge, 2017.

2NATURE OF STATES
mercy shown by a prince has the chance of being misused by his subjects4. Thus, in order to
create discipline and obedience within his subjects and to keep them in line, then it is necessary
that the prince should be cruel in his dealings. In this manner, it can be seen that according to
Machiavelli, a prince should aspire to be powerful rather than just.
On the other hand, Aristotle opted for a just state. In his book, the “Politics” which was
written in the ancient times, it can be observed that Aristotle was of the idea that it is the
responsibility and the obligation of a state to ensure that all of its citizens are able to enjoy a
happy and satisfied life5. In this sense, it can be seen that the people who ran the state, according
to Aristotle should guarantee its citizens a particular way of life which is found to be favorable to
them. Aristotle analyzed the character of the ancient Greek city states while writing his book6. In
such city states of Greece, he observed that if the middle class of people is strong and has the
right values and traditions imbibed in them, then they can mediate and resolve the opposing
interests that can be seen to be inexistence between the poor and the rich class of people. The
existence of justice within a state is considered to the means to an end which of ensuring a just
state. This shows that in the debate that whether a state should be strong or just, Aristotle opined
for a just state.
The debate between a just state and a strong state has been in existence since times
immemorial. For instance, in the ancient days, the Roman civilization is considered to be power
hungry in nature. When it came to matters of justice, it was the Greek civilization which believed
in a just state. Many attempts have been made by the different nation states to institute an
4 Petrina, Alessandra. Machiavelli in the British isles: Two early modern translations of the Prince. Routledge, 2016.
5 Johnson, Curtis. "Aristotle Politics. A New Translation. With Introduction and Notes." Ancient Philosophy 38, no.
1 (2018): 218-222.
6 Young, Mark A. Negotiating the good life: Aristotle and the civil society. Routledge, 2017.

3NATURE OF STATES
organization which would ensure the mutual survival of the states7. In the recent times, it can be
seen that all the nation states of the world are desirous of increasing their power in comparison
with the other nation states. This is due to the competitive nature of the states8. After the end of
the Cold War, there was an initial agreement among the countries that they would no longer
wage was with each other and instead, would abide by the international standards set by the
United Nations Organizations. The United Organizations have the important task of ensuring the
preponderance of world peace in the world. However, certain states of the world such as that of
North Korea for instance, is observed to be interested in accumulating more and more power.
The leaders of North Korea believe that power is equivalent to the increase in the standing of
their country with respect to the other countries of the world.
In conclusion it can be observed that the two characteristics of a strong state and a just
state is often incompatible with one another. In other words, when a state is strong, it is rarely
that the same states just in nature. This is due to the reason that a state can only be strong when it
is able to take effective control over itself. This control usually flows from the limitation that is
imposed on the rights and freedom of its citizens. On the other hand, a when a state is just, it is
rarely strong in nature. This is due to the reason that a just state is concerned with ensuring the
rights of the citizens and guaranteeing them. Under such scenarios, they provide more and more
concessions for the citizens and there is less monetary resources available for increasing the
military strength of the concerned nation state. Thus, a strong state and a just state is often seen
to be incompatible with one another.
7 Fuller, Timothy, ed. Machiavelli's Legacy:" The Prince" After Five Hundred Years. University of Pennsylvania
Press, 2016.
8 Hutchinson, Douglas S. The virtues of Aristotle. Routledge, 2015.

4NATURE OF STATES
References:
Cosans, Christopher E., and Christopher S. Reina. "The Leadership Ethics of Machiavelli’s
Prince." Business Ethics Quarterly 28, no. 3 (2018): 275-300.
Fuller, Timothy, ed. Machiavelli's Legacy:" The Prince" After Five Hundred Years. University
of Pennsylvania Press, 2016.
Hulliung, Mark. Citizen Machiavelli. Routledge, 2017.
Hutchinson, Douglas S. The virtues of Aristotle. Routledge, 2015.
Johnson, Curtis. "Aristotle Politics. A New Translation. With Introduction and Notes." Ancient
Philosophy 38, no. 1 (2018): 218-222.
Machiavelli, Niccolò, and Ninian Hill Thomson. Machiavelli: The Prince (Cambridge Texts in
the History of Political Thought). CDED, 2018.
Petrina, Alessandra. Machiavelli in the British isles: Two early modern translations of the
Prince. Routledge, 2016.
Young, Mark A. Negotiating the good life: Aristotle and the civil society. Routledge, 2017.