Nursena YAŞAR

Hayati AKTAŞ

War and peace continue to be popular as subjects of interest since ancient times. There is no consensus on the nature and scope of war, which is perhaps the most complex and variable phenomenon in human history. Although the definition of war takes place in other disciplines, it is one of the main discussion topics of the International Relations discipline. In addition to the conviction that the structure of the international order, which is most respected, is decisive in resorting to and administering war; Examining the social structure as a variable makes it easier for us to understand the war. War has a functional place in power acquisition, it is an extension of social and international power distribution and conflict of interest. War is of vital importance for the definition of the system in which the states, which are described as the main actors, are included and the sharpness of their borders. War is such an intertwined reality in the discipline of International Relations that it can almost be associated with the birth of the discipline. Wars take place on the ground formed by the international relations system. The state uses war as a tool to legitimize its own existence. For this reason, first of all, in this study, it was examined how the phenomenon of war in International Relations took place in the literature and how it reinforced the legitimacy of the state. In the study, besides the literature review on war, how the modern state phenomenon was formed by wars was analyzed through the religious wars leading to the 1648 Westphalia peace.

Keywords: International Relations, War, Peace, Sovereignty, Legitimacy