Revolution is No Longer a One State Affair

When the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) began its drive for Algerian independence, one of its first goals was to “internationalize the conflict”.1 It was a rather ironic objective considering the international system had provided the biggest impetus for revolution in Algeria in the first place. Revolutions are domestic in that they seek to alter the internal political, social, and economic structures of a territory and are preceded by discontent, agitation, and other internal factors. However from the 19 th century and onward, it has become impossible for any state to exist in a vacuum. 2 A state is in constant contact or dialogue, if you will, with the international system, an entity constituting all actors, states, ideologies, and events outside of a state. International events influence events within a state which may in turn influenc