Wars of States or Wars of State-Formation?

This chapter on “Wars of States or Wars of State-Formation?” explores the causes of the seventeenth century wars in Europe and explains them as wars of state building based on the doctrine of the raison d'état. The orientation towards utility for the sake of state benefit underlined the strategic impulse contained in the doctrine of the raison d'état that produces a different view for each state. In this connection, the doctrine of the raison d'état has not only a realistic impact but an ethical sense. The key issue regarding this new understanding is the doctrine of raison d'état, which is finally an instrumental synthesis of Machiavelli's theory of power and virtue in the field of politics.