Deleuze's War Machine: Nomadism Against the State

Abstract

This article contributes to an emerging body of post-structuralist international relations scholarship that focuses upon the core problematic of international relations theory: war. While existing post-structuralist treatments of war have generally derived their inspiration from the work of Foucault and Virilio, this article focuses specifically upon the ideas of Gilles Deleuze. In particular, it deals with Deleuze's arguments upon the nature of the relation between war and the state, detailing how he uses this debate to take issue with Foucault's concept of power. As I argue, the role of the concept of war within Deleuze's philosophy is comparable with that of the concept of desire. Further, I demonstrate how Deleuze's thesis on the relationship between war and the state is influenced by Nietzsche's discourse on war, and how it serves to undermine arguments that equate Nietzsche's concept of war with that of fascism.