William Rasch, Sovereignty and Its Discontents: On the Primacy of Conflict and the Structure of the Political, London, Birkbeck University Press (Cavendish Publishing), 2004, ISBN 1859419844, 208 pp., £23.95 (pb).

‘War is for men, for honour and glory.’

‘And death,’ she pointed out.

‘Of course death. That is why women must be protected. Many babies must be born to replace the dead warriors.’

‘It might be better just to stop the wars.’

‘Pah! It is always useless to talk to women. They have no understanding.’