If Nations are abstractions, they are 'empty vehicles' of power.

If all Nations are abstractions, in most cases, they are 'empty vehicles' of power. They are 'empty', of the 'will of the People', that constitutes them. Power, we have said, in a Democracy, comes from the People at the Bottom of government. In a non-democracy, heavens knows where they get their power. Non-Democracies don't need 'power' because they use force, or fear, and their so-called power, is really a 'subjugated acquiescence' of the People at the Bottom. The Divine Right of Kings, failed because the 'Divinity' of the King became questionable. The 'ideology' had to be justified by a linguistic distinction called "the Kings Two Bodies". Of course, there was the 'Divine Body' and the Natural(normal)Body. The Kings actions had to 'fit' one or the Other body; a very 'variable' and 'insecure' source of power. That may have been the source of the saying, "The King is dead,( the normal one) Long live the King.( the Divine one)" But, back to the argument. If political power has its source at the Bottom of government, then the Bottom must institutionally 'confer' it. This can only be done, by some 'electoral process'. The electoral process is what 'must' be present, and the electoral process, must be exercised in a 'fair and equitable manner'. Of course, we are aware, that at present, there are some elections going on, and the elections are being 'compromised' by 'rebels', 'armies', are whatever. The point is that elections must be 'fair and equitable' if they are to reflect the 'will of the people'. I understand that the 'will of the People' is a nebulous term, but all language terms are vague. The general concept of the People, needs to be clarified, so as to justify the use of those political terms. Besides the above mentioned 'compromised', the problematic arises when the People divide-up among themselves,(lets just say into Political Parties) and 'attenuate' the so-called 'will of the People'. That 'unfortunate process' goes on, even in democracies. In democracies its called 'Politics'. To an impartial observer, that could be called, "linguistic, political, war", between Parties. Nevertheless, its a linguistic war, between Parties, and not, an 'ideological War' between Nations, which can very easily, also break out into 'actual War'. Actual 'War' no longer requires "boots on the ground", because, the "boots" are already on the ground when the War is declared. If some Nations are "empty vehicles" of power, they should be concerned with their own people, not with the 'power relations' of other Nations. Even if some democracies are not "empty" vehicles of power, they should "stay home". What "We the People..." need to do is learn how to 'live together', not learn, how to 'destroy each other'.