Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Bush and Machiavelli?

I think that Bush, or more likely his advisors such as Karl Rove, have been reading Machiavelli.

In Machiavelli's "The Prince", he writes in chapter 17, "that one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved, if one of the two has to be wanting."

Later on he writes, "I conclude, therefore, with regard to being feared and loved, that men love at their own free will, but fear at the will of the prince, and that a wise prince must rely on what is in his power and not on what is in the power of others, and he must only contrive to avoid incurring hatred, as has been explained."

America used to be loved around the world, but under Bush's rule, especially in the last few years, it has become hated. He wanted to make us feared after 9/11, so that no one would dare attack us, but he failed and now we are hated in many countries around the world.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home