They might make good holiday spots but they do not make good political partners. Because almost all of the countries that do not maintain a military have treaties with nations that do, few nations can be classified as being truly demilitarized. The nations with explicit pacifist clauses in their constitutions like Costa Rica would be unable to withstand invasion from a hostile nation and are therefore useless in terms of political coalitions. Although not despised per se, nations like Costa Rica would simply be obliterated at the hands of an aggressor.

No nation with meaningful economic or political assets has ever been unarmed. Like Machiavelli points out, wise leaders study the great societies of the past and model their states after them to ensure stability. Even nations with small populations and a reputation for non-interference like Canada have relatively strong militaries. Just as any wealthy person would want an alarm to protect the home, any wealthy nation would want a military at least for defense purposes. The most influential nations on earth are those with the strongest militaries: the United States, China, and Great Britain. If these nations are feared more than they are loved, they are still successful because "when the prince is with his armies and has under his command a multitude of troops, then it is absolutely necessary that he not worry about being considered cruel," (p. 44). Fearsomeness is more important than kindness in the world of international affairs.

A wise Machiavellian leader intentionally cultivates fear for several reasons. First, fearsomeness prevents hostile invasions; nations with strong militaries are less likely to be targets of direct foreign aggression than nations with weak militaries. Second, fearsomeness encourages political and economic alliances. Nations don't befriend each other because they like each other; they befriend each other because of mutual benefit. Third, fearsomeness engenders respect. Nations like China and Israel might not be well-liked around the world but they are respected because of their military might. Military power confers diplomatic, economic, and political advantages because strong armed forces can be used...

Globalization has erased nation-state boundaries for economic purposes and has increased overall interdependence between sovereign states. Still, globalization has not diminished the importance of military-backed political power. The United States, Great Britain, France, and Germany continue to invest in their military for the reasons Machiavelli outlines in The Prince. Military power helps nation states earn key allies. Military might also engenders fear and respect as well as political clout in international organizations. Moreover, military power can help nations protect against terrorist threats.
The prime targets of trans-state terrorist organizations include powerful nation-states like the U.S. And Great Britain. However, traditional nation-states with powerful militaries will continue to have an advantage over trans-national terrorism. Military might has proliferated among non-state entities such as terrorist groups like al-Qaeda, whose population is not situated within any geo-political boundaries. The terrorist network serves as an alternative military body to supplement that of the nation-state. Yet because the trans-state terrorist group does not exhibit other key features of Machiavellian statehood, such as land, non-state entities can never become powerful in the Machiavellian sense.

Works Cited

Countries without Armies." Army.com. Retrieved Dec 10, 2006 at http://www.army.com/countires_without_armies.html

Largest Military Expenditures, 2005." InfoPlease. Retrieved Dec 10, 2006 at http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0904504.html

List of Countries by Size of Armed Forces." Wikipedia. Retrieved Dec 10, 2006 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_size_of_armed_forces

List of Countries Without Armed Forces." Wikipedia. Retrieved Dec 10, 2006 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_without_an_army

Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. Excerpts in Jacobus, Lee A. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Boston: Bedford-St. Martins, 2006.