Kant's "Perpetual Peace"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Kant states that a republican constitution, which by definition must be representative of a republic and the people existing within, must ultimately be concerned with the concept of perpetual peace; and, when a republican constitution is utilized, it must follow that, in order for war to be declared, the citizens of a nation must consent to this war. The author points out that Kant also argues in this passage however that the "ultimate evil" of war is that it may not allow for peace at any point, because further war is spurned as a result of the debt that is often incurred from the act of war itself. The author believes that Kant's argument should have been that the adoption of a republican constitution facilitates more motivation and tendency within a country toward perpetual peace and makes it more difficult to engage in war on a continuous basis without direct approval of the citizenry.

From the Paper:

"The non-republican constitution thus thwarts all efforts toward perpetual peace. Perhaps here Kant is observing the frequency of war that is declared in nations and countries ruled by someone considered the nations "owner." True, in the sense that some countries are seen in a state of perpetual war rather than in a state of peace. However, even within countries that abide by a republican constitution, perpetual peace is hardly realized. The argument that such a constitution provides for peace is faulty. Even if the citizens of such a nation object to war, there is possibility in some situations that they will find themselves in the throes of war regardless."

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