The state, however, is a political construction, designed to keep the peace in an economically viable territory. There are simply too many “nations,” actual or potential, to form the basis of a world system of states, not least because so many of them, having been jumbled up for centuries, cannot now be disentangled.
然而国家却是一种政治构造，目的是在一片具有经济活力的领土上维持和平。有太多实际或潜在的“民族”可以形成世界国家体系的基础。更重要的是，它们中的许多经过了数世纪以来的相互纠葛，早已是剪不断，理还乱。