During a border war, newspapers in each of the two countries call the…

During a border war, newspapers in each of the two countries call the other the aggressor and claim that God and truth are on their own side. Which idea best explains this?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → The two sides construct matching but reversed mirror images

Option (1) Each state claims a monopoly of legitimate force in its territory — Incorrect. A monopoly of legitimate force is Max Weber's definition of the state. It defines what a state is, and it has nothing to do with each side painting the other as the aggressor.

Option (2) The two sides construct matching but reversed mirror images — Correct. In a conflict between communities, each side sees the other as a hated enemy and itself as right. Both sides build the same picture with the roles swapped, so they form matching but reversed mirror images.

Option (3) Each nation is a community of communities seeking political unity — Incorrect. A community of communities is the simplest description of a nation. It tells what holds one nation together, and it is silent on how two warring nations see each other.

Option (4) Democracy and nationalism act as dominant sources of legitimacy — Incorrect. Democracy and nationalism as sources of legitimacy concern how a state justifies its power to its own people. They have no bearing on the two sides' opposite claims about God and truth.

NCERT (2026-27): “6.1 The Importance of Community Identity …
A second feature of ascriptive identities and community feeling is that they are universal. Everyone has a motherland, a mother tongue, a family, a faith… This may not necessarily be strictly true of every individual, but it is true in a general sense. And we are all equally committed and loyal to our respective identities. Once again it is possible to come across people who may not be particularly committed to one or the other aspect of their identity. But the possibility of this commitment is potentially available to most people. Because of this, conflicts that involve our communities (whether of nation, language, religion, caste or region) are very hard to deal with. Each side in the conflict thinks of the other side as a hated enemy, and there is a tendency to exaggerate the virtues of one’s own side as well as the vices of the other side. Thus, when two nations are at war, patriots in each nation see the other as the enemy aggressor; each side believes that God and truth are on their side. In the heat of the moment, it is very hard for people on either side to see that they are constructing matching but reversed mirror images of each other.”

During a border war, newspapers in each of the two countries call the other the aggressor and claim that God and truth are on their own side. Which idea best explains this?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → The two sides construct matching but reversed mirror images