共和制的两难命运和第三条道路——麦迪逊与1812年战争

The Dilemma of Republic and Its Third Way: James Madison and the War of 1812

孟德斯鸠等现代共和制度的设计者们认识到,共和制面临着或因弱小而不能自卫,或因强大而扩张并最终自我毁灭的两难命运。他们力图通过改进共和制而走出第三条道路。孟德斯鸠的改进方案在美国被付诸实践,并很快遭受到严峻的外部挑战。面对这种挑战,美国的"宪法之父"和第四任总统麦迪逊,不仅捍卫了美国这一新生的国家,而且捍卫了新生的现代共和制本身。麦迪逊强调,共和制国家需要爱好和平,只应进行防御性的战争,而不能进行侵略扩张。今天世界上主要的共和国,普遍将传统的"战争部"或"兵部"改称"国防部",反映了麦迪逊所强调的防御性战争原则的深远影响。并且,长远来看,各国只有坚守这一原则,才能使现代共和制长久生存。

Montesquieu and some other designers of modern republican system realized that the republicanism confronted the dilemma: it could either be too weak to protect itself, or be too strong to invade other states and eventually to destroy itself by its own success. Thus, they tried to improve the republicanism to find the third way for it. And Montesquieu's improvement program was soon put into practice in the United States but met with external challenges. Under such grave situation, James Madison, the father of American Constitution and its fourth President, defended not only the new state but the new-born modern Republicanism. He emphasized that the republic needs to advocate peace, and there is war, it should be defensive rather than offensive. Today, most republic states in the world have replaced the traditionally named 'Department of War' with the 'Department of Defense' which reflects the defensive principles of war stressed by Madison, to which each modern state has to stick to preserve the Republic regime in the long run.