NRPLUS MEMBER ARTICLE
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n 2002, historian and constitutional-law professor Philip Bobbitt published one of the most important history books ever written, The Shield of Achilles. Weaving together constitutional and military history, it charts the rise and fall of history’s major constitutional orders — from the princely states and kingdoms of early modern Europe to the nation-state we know today.
Constitutional and military history are not commonly thought of as related, but their relation is fundamental. As Bobbitt shows, what determines the success of a particular constitutional order during any period of history is its potential military power. It was no accident that Napoleon rose …
This article was originally published by Nationalreview.com. Read the original article here.