http://revista.ieee.es/index.php/ieee 244 Journal of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies Núm. 8 / 2016 have been subject to comprehensive and epistemological42 revision due to the constant evolution experienced by the subjects and backdrops pertaining to security and defen-ce; concepts that require constant redefinition to keep pace with the major political, social and technological transformations that occur in the world43. It is for this reason that we deem it necessary to address such concepts in this sec-tion, with a view to explaining their configuration and justifying the adoption of one of them for the purpose of political action; a conclusion that has already been presen-ted in the title and this text. War and the need for a culture of defence Inherent to the concept of the nation state, defence has been an idea linked to the protection of territory -i.e. area of sovereignty44- and its vital interests. The consolida-tion of the state in the modern era is marked by its consecration as the only legitimate actor for warfare and one that boasts “the monopoly on the legitimate use of force”45, an essential feature of its coercive nature and power46. Therefore, the state, by way of its essentially political and sovereign unity, possessed inherent power as regards ius belli47. Nevertheless, and in a two-way process, the formation of states also established a colossal machinery of war48. War was seen, not merely as action taken to defend sovereign territory, but also rather as a continuation of policy, an act of force committed with a view to imposing one’s own will on the adversary, in the view of Karl von Clausewitz49. War, interpreted 42 LÓPEZ MORA, op. cit., p. 87; MARRERO, Inmaculada C., Hacia una nueva cultura de la defensa en España, Fundación Alternativas, Observatorio de Política Exterior Española, Documento de Trabajo 11/2007, 2007, p. 12. Available online (consulted 20 February 2015): http://www.fundacionalternativas.org/opex/documentos/ documentos-de-trabajo/hacia-una-nueva-cultura-de-la-defensa-en-espana. 43 DÍEZ ALCALDE, Jesús, «Estrategia de Seguridad Nacional: Un proyecto compartido» in XXI Curso Internacional de Defensa: Potenciar la cultura de seguridad, una necesidad para comprender la de-fensa nacional, Jaca (Huesca), General Military Academy-University of Saragossa, 2014, p. 82. 44 MOLINER, Juan, «La defensa y el Consejo de Defensa Nacional» in XXI Curso Internacional de Defensa: Potenciar la cultura de seguridad, una necesidad para comprender la defensa nacional, Jaca (Huesca), General Mil-itary Academy-University of Saragossa, 2014, p. 112. 45 WEBER, Max, El político y el científico, Madrid, Alianza Editorial, 1998, p. 83. 46 CRUZ, Alfredo, La razón de la fuerza, Madrid, Pearson, 2004, p. 50. 47 SCHMITT, Carl, El concepto de lo político, Madrid, Alianza Editorial, 1991. 48 TILLY, Charles, Coerción, capital y los estados europeos. 990-1990, Madrid, Alianza Editorial, 1992. 49 CLAUSEWITZ, Karl von, De la guerra, Barcelona, Mateu, 1972.
REVISTA IEEE 8
To see the actual publication please follow the link above