Security, Liberty, and Equality 375 



assumes so dominant and threatening a position. 

 Such an attempt is obviously incapable of general 

 realization: a very one-sided reasoning is behind 

 it. Every nation cannot be stronger than every 

 other. Brute force alone cannot give security. 

 Only a world federation, representing a world pub- 

 lic opinion, can be stronger than any possible 

 enemy. There can be no security without justice 

 and organization. 



Liberty, too, the guarantee against violation of 

 rights by individual or by government, is condi- 

 tioned by justice. Individuals as well as social 

 groups can be free only if they respect the rights 

 of other individuals and of other groups. Peter 

 is not completely free until all men respect his 

 rights. And Paul, Peter's cousin, can be free only 

 on this same condition. So when Peter fails to 

 respect the rights of Paul, Paul is no longer free, 

 and vice versa. When Bodin speaks of the free- 

 dom and sovereignty of the State, he usually means 

 not the right to determine its own destiny, but the 

 possibility of determining that of others. It often 

 means an assertion of the right to steal. It is the 

 right to attack a neighbour on any pretext and at 

 any moment, that is, to maintain perpetual an- 

 archy, which is called "sovereignty." But it is 

 truly kindergarten logic to see the palladium of 

 liberty in the maintenance of anarchy. Liberty 

 means, essentially, security, and security comes 

 from respect for law, not from its violation. The 

 masses have no interest in the maintenance of 



