ABSTRACT
The whole idea of comparative international politics begins with a perhaps simple-minded proposition. This chapter deals with the State, defined as a political unit with a territorial base for which the use of organized violence is a viable alternative in its external relations. The idea behind this definition is that what differentiates sovereign states in their interactions is the use of organized violence as a normal, legitimate recourse. A direct conflict is a conflict between two states in which there is in fact a substantive issue or tension dividing the two of them. In an indirect conflict two states are brought into conflict by extraneous considerations; one or the other is induced to enter the conflict, or comes into conflict by virtue of alliance with another enemy. The chapter also examines the way in which bilateral conflicts fuse together to form larger systems of interaction.
