Niccoló Machiavelli’s “The Prince,” he describes all the qualities that he believes a prince, or ruler, must have in order to succeed. He writes in a very concise manner, with key examples for each point. The most controversial item in his book is his clear inattention to ethics and morals. This essay will attempt to borrow from Machiavelli’s views and apply them to modern day politicians.
A Politicians Duty Concerning Military Matters
A politician’s principle knowledge and priority must be primarily military. This is to be essential if a politician wishes to maintain his position of power. Also, when the opportunity presents itself, have military knowledge over another will afford them the advantage over other politicians to rise in power. This knowledge must be apparent to the people, for if individual opulence shows through, the politician is truly lost. This knowledge must be constantly reinforced if status is to be preserved, for the best way to lose it is through unpracticed knowledge.
Thomas Jefferson retreated when Virginia came under attack by the English. This was seen as a sign of political weakness, and is a prime example of the results of not maintaining military strength. Franklin Roosevelt had long been developing a means to quickly end any opposition to him during World War II with the atomic bomb. Although it was Truman that dropped the bomb, Roosevelt exercised his military knowledge by preemptively thinking of war and strategy.
The Term Paper on Military Endeavor in Bosnia
Calls for comprehensive reforms were growing, especially from the constituent republics Slovenia and Croatia and the central government became incapable of acting. More and more power was given up to the constituent republics. At the beginning of 1990 the Yugoslavian unity party SKJ (Savez Komunista Jugoslavije) has fallen and majority party elections were established in Slovenia, Croatia and ...
Roosevelt’s success can be attributed to the fact that he was always thinking of “what-if” situations and never let his guard down, just a politician must always be ready.
On Those Things for Which Men, and Particularly Politicians, Are Praised or Blamed
Plato talked of two worlds, the world of ideas and the world of forms. The world of ideas contains the ideals of man, how things would be in a perfect world. The world of forms is the world we live in and contain imperfect versions of the ideals in the world of ideas. He said that a wise man would recognize the world of ideas, but only a fool would believe that the any ideals could be realized. A politician must live in reality and not strive for something that is truly imagined.
With this sense of reality, a politician must be careful with the matter of generosity. It is better to be considered not generous enough than to be exceedingly generous. To be munificent leads to weakness and to be weak initiates the path of downfall.
On Generosity and Miserliness
When a politician spends excessively on inconsequential things such as parties or other publicity for himself, he may find that he does not have adequate finances when in times of true need. One only needs to look to current president George W. Bush to see the consequences of being too generous. With hundreds of billions in tax cuts and increased government spending, the federal deficit would be approximately $304 billion; the largest deficit in U.S. history. The previous record was $290 billion in 1992.
All of this, and a war looming over our heads, will put Bush in a difficult position come election time. If Bush had been stingier in tax cuts, and less worried that the public would think less of him if he didn’t make drastic cuts, we might not be in our current tight situation.
On Cruelty and Mercy and Whether It Is Better to Be Loved Than to Be Feared or the Contrary
A politician has achieved true greatness if he can be both loved and feared. However, returning to the paradigm of Plato, the world of forms would have a hard time permitting this incongruity. Commonly when thinking of being feared, we associate that with being hated. We must clear our minds of this and realize that when a politician is feared, his people are disciplined and subservient. A disciplined society will be less rebellious and more peaceful.
The Essay on Bush Clinton Synopsis President Troops Military
William Jefferson Clinton, by far the MOST controversial President of our Time On January 20, 1993, our current presiding president, William J. Clinton was sworn into office. For the past six years, one of the most flamboyant presidencies has been lived out and still continues to this very day. In the eyes of some Bill Clinton has been a savior to the United States, while others openly consider ...
Bush tries to achieve love from America, but instead may end up being the most hated president in U.S. history. A recent poll done by CNN found that Americans would more likely elect a random unnamed democratic candidate, rather than reelect current president Bush for a second term. Bush failed because he tried to achieve love, when a wise politician would only try to avoid hatred.
How a Politician Should Keep His Word
The nature of being a politician brings with it a certain amount of necessary and inescapable deceit. At best, a politician should appear to be honest, but if he wishes to be successful, must never hesitate to lie or break a promise if honesty puts him at a disadvantage.
Former president Bill Clinton committed perjury which nearly led to impeachment. Some would argue that lying was to his disadvantage. In the long run this may have been the case. However, I believe that if he had stated the truth under oath then there still would have been similar repercussions. Also, it could be argued that it was to his immediate advantage that he lies, for if his lie was upheld, his record would not have been as nearly scarred.
Currently, President Bush is trying to rally support for a way against Iraq on the sole basis of his word that Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction, and that he might use them against the United States. No civilian knows 100% that Iraq has these weapons, so theoretically, it could be all one massive lie. Even so, it is absolutely to Bush’s advantage that he lies, so long as Iraq cannot prove him a liar. Many suggest that he has the ulterior motive of oil. If this is true, and Bush was to admit to this, the little support he has currently would drop to nearly zero. A politician must lie to achieve his goals.
Conclusion
For a politician to succeed, it is often required of him to do things that may seem rash, dishonorable, malicious, or merciless. However, the question arises, is it better to be a person that leads an entirely ethical, moral and honest life who achieves little, does nothing to better mankind? Or is it better to commit unethical acts when necessary, and to be successful, powerful, and someone who improves society as a whole? When it comes down to it, the ends really do justify the means.
The Essay on Saddam Hussein The President of Iraq
Huddled in an underground bunker with his country smoldering in ruins around him, Iraqi President SADDAM HUSSEIN seemed buried for good in February 1992. U.N. forces had devastated Iraq in the six-week Persian Gulf War; sewage systems and telephone lines were out, electrical grids were down, and roads were impassable. Harsh international sanctions and reparation debts hobbled recovery prospects ...
