intentioned statesmen would always see the correct solution to an international
conflict, and thus that the absence of a world authority or international
government does not make the existence of binding international law impos-
sible. His most famous work,On the Law of War and Peace(usually referred to by
its Latin titleDe iure belli ac pacis), published in 1625, expounds this doctrine in
considerable detail, and includes the first serious effort to create a theory of the
just waroutside theological writing. His theories are a complex mixture of
appeals to enlightened self-interest and a belief in essential altruism. Thus his
first and overriding principle of international law,pacta sunt servanda(promises
must be kept), is based mainly on the idea that we will all see that it is in our
interest to keep promises and abide by treaties, because otherwise the world
will be too chaotic for our own survival. His just war theory is surprisingly
modern, insisting that only defensive wars (or, less modern, retaliatory wars)
can ever be justified. Although the philosophical basis of his arguments often
appear quaint today, most of his ideas are now enshrined in public international
law, and his work is still cited in international tribunals. Given the increased
salience of international tribunals of one form and another, and a growing
public acceptance that states are bound by some form of international law,
Grotius’ ideas are possibly more important than at any time since he wrote. It is
unfortunate for his reputation that he did not on the whole support what
would now be known as‘humanitarian intervention’.
Group Theory
Group theory, in political science, is largely associated withBentleyand, in
various reformulations, with writers onpluralism. The central argument is
that societies consist of a large number of social, ethnic or economic groups,
more or less well-organized, in political competition with each other to put
pressure on the government into producing the policies favourable to the
relevant group. Versions of this theory can either claim that it is entirely
compatible with the aims of democracy, and that group representation satisfies
democratic norms, as well as being empirically realistic, or can alternatively be
used to argue that all societies have the same true structure, whatever their
surface ideology and characteristics. Other branches of political science have
taken the nature and multiplicity of groups as vital elements in determining
political stability or indeed the liberalness or otherwise of the society.
Guerrilla
Originally guerrillas were unorthodox soldiers fighting behind enemy lines,
challenging conventional forces with harassing actions, and never allowing
themselves to be forced into a pitched battle where the conventional super-
Guerrilla