The Continuing Appeal of Nationalism

"The king's army and police were not reliable protectors of...the powerful merchants, who already operated the business of the empire, took measures to put an end to the instability; they took the politics in hand as well. They could have hired private armies, and they often did....The main virtue of a national armed force is that it guarantees that a patriotic servant will war alongside his own boss against an enemy boss's servant." A classic essay by the late Fredy Perlman. (1985)