Military Force
Military force, which is used primarily in international settings and serious internal political conflicts (civil war, for example) represents society's efforts to combine its resources to create an organization capable of successfully resisting any effort to use violent force against it. Such military forces are, of course, also frequently used for aggressive purposes.
Military science has a long and complex history with enormous resources traditionally devoted to the development of better weapons and tactics and the training of each new generation of soldiers, sailors, and airmen. While further discussion of these ideas is beyond the scope of this training program, we do include the following links to Web accessible resources on the subject.
Political Power
In order to be successful, societies have had to develop political institutions capable of limiting internal violence by providing effective alternatives to violence-based dispute resolution mechanisms and by the development of police and military institutions capable of preventing citizens and other nations from using violent strategies to pursue their interests. These political institutions provide nonviolent (or at least less violent) mechanisms for making broad policy decisions and enacting laws which govern the way in which the legal or judicial system resolves day-to-day disputes. These political institutions also specify the exact circumstances under which police and military can use their monopoly on overwhelming violent force.
Over the centuries different societies have developed very different political institutions. Common contemporary political systems include those based upon religious law, democratic principles, monarchies, and dictatorships. These political systems have developed into large scale social institutions which are extensively studied and for which there are numerous education and training options available to those working in the political arena. While further discussion of political systems is beyond the scope of this training program, we do include the following links to Web accessible resources on the subject.
Legal Power
Political institutions deal primarily with broad policy questions. They are not intended to deal with the large number of disputes which inevitably arise over the implementation of broad political policies and, especially, the enforcement of laws enacted by the political process. For dealing with these day-to-day conflicts virtually all societies have enacted establish some type of legal or judicial system whose judgments are backed up by the power of the police. In addition to the enforcement of political decisions the legal system also provides a mechanism for resolving the many civil disputes which arise between individual citizens..
Different societies organize their legal institutions in very different ways. For example, legal systems in current use include those based upon English Common Law, religious law, or traditional approaches in which community elders are responsible for arranging just settlements.
In most societies extensive legal institutions have developed which employ substantial resources and large numbers of skilled people who receive extensive training in professional schools. While further discussion of legal systems is beyond the scope of this training program, we do include the following links to Web accessible resources on the subject.