Kant

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Immanuel Kant

By: Yonna Yelverton

Immanuel Kant was a man before his time. His philosophies, as outlined in

Perpetual Peace, paved the way for modern political relations. Unbeknownst

to his day and age, his insights were a revelation. They were seeds planted

and left unsewn for 120 years. As a first and second image theorist, Kant

mixes his liberal and realist views to paint a picture of "perpetual peace." His

essay outlines the actions that nations should take to achieve this lofty

objective. Through his layout of behavioral and philosophical ideologies, he

believes nations can truly live synchronically. The first section of Kant's essay

contains articles that specifically state the actions that nations should take to

enable them to establish a world peace. These six articles must become the

law of a nation endeavoring for peace. The first article applies to treaties of

peace. In the first article he explains that states entering into peace treaties

must resolve all problems that lead them to war. All parties must make

known their issues and work to rectify them. Thus, in the future, there will be

no circumstance that will lead them to war again amongst each other. The

second of these laws communicates the need for all independent nations to be

free from the seizure of another state. The next article is in complete

opposition to the realist theory. Kant explains that all nations need to

gradually dispense of their armed forces. He believes that armies held by

nations increase the tension of their rivals. This makes them increase the size

of their military. Here, Kant indirectly addresses the realist Prisoner's

Dilemma. He believes that international conflicts arise from mistaken beliefs,

as well as inadequate information and bad governments. As each side

increases their military, the more likely a war will start. Thus, the paradox of

the Prisoner's Dilemma. Kant argues that because humans have rationality,

they can break out of the Prisoner's Dilemma. This is a fundamental

difference between Kant and a traditional realist such as Morgantheau. The

fourth law is about a nation's debt to the others. In this law, Kant argues that

nations indebted to one another will cause war. He states in this article that if

a nation face bankruptcy, then the nations that have loaned it funds will also

be adversely affected. Also, sovereignty of a nation is another law that Kant

argues to be important to world peace. Nations, he says, must not interfere

with the constitution of another. He implicitly reaffirms the principals of the

Treaty of Wesphaylia - sovereignty and noninterference. In the final article,

Kant addresses war directly. He states that if nations are at war, then they

should refrain from doing things during the course of war that would cause the

other nations to distrust them in future times of peace. By this, he is referring

to the use of assassins and treasonous deeds. This concludes the first section

of his essay. The second section of "Perpetual Peace" is more in depth. Kant

gives us three articles that define what type of government nations must apply

to reach a perpetual peace. He begins this section by arguing that it is not in

man's nature to be at peace. He declares that the natural state of man is war.

He goes on to say: "...for the suspension of hostilities does not provide the

security of peace..." (111) However, it can be reached in a state of

lawfulness. Kant explains why republican constitutions are vital to ensure the

peace of nations. He reasons this by arguing that this is the only type of

government that guarantees freedom and equality of the people. Kant goes

on to state that the republican form of government is the most difficult to form

and maintain. But, he reaffirms that a republic is the type of government most

apt to achieve peace because it gives its people a voice, ensures

consequences for lawbreakers, and imposes a system of checks and

balances to divide the power equally amongst governmental bodies. Also, in

this article, Kant addresses the concept of sovereignty. Nations must not

interfere with the constitution of another because it may cause a war. In the

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