Monthly Archives: December 2010

Blog “The Prince”

The article relates to the recent leaks of the information from the wikileaks website. It had information about all the government activities, its foreign relations with other countries. After the incident, U.S. has been trying hard not to let any of the other countries find that information that was out in the Internet. U.S. always maintained power over other countries in any kind of relations. One of the examples is the invasion of Iraq by the Bush Administration. Even though there were no weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq, the U.S. still seems to have power over their government and the country. And now since the secret government information is out in public, U.S. is still trying to maintain the power. U.S. has put into lot of efforts into stopping Syria, Iran and North Korea to stop selling arms and weapons. They even insisted other countries not letting any airlines pass through their territory so that no arms and weapons could be transported.
“It is the arms transactions involving Syria and Hezbollah, however, that appear to be among the Obama administration’s gravest concerns. President Obama came into office pledging to engage with Syria, arguing that the Bush administration’s efforts to isolate Syria had done nothing to wean it from Iran or encourage Middle East peace efforts.”
The article is very much the example of Machiavellian principles. U.S. maintains power over the other countries regardless of the fact that their secret information about its relations has been leaked out. The information might have contained U.S. selling weapons and arms to other countries but they still put pressure on other countries. This takes U.S. out of the picture because they deceived other countries into not producing any weapons and arms and selling them.

In Afghanistan women are not left with many choices. Live a life of cruelty and oppression or attempt suicide in the hopes of never having to live a life of helplessness again. Unfortunately many Afghan women resort to the second of those choices and set themselves on fire as a way to both embody their inner-suffering and set themselves free from their undesired lives. These women are often living with untreated mental illnesses due to their extremely cruel treatment. A woman Farzana said, “I felt so sad and such pain in my heart and I felt very angry at my husband and my father- and mother-in-law, and then I took the matches and lit myself.” These women have nowhere and no one to turn to. They have no outlets of expression and therefore are forced to do the unthinkable and set themselves on fire.

The Pillowbook written by Sei Shonagon displays a similar situation. Women did not have the power to express their thoughts during this time period. They faced oppressions much like what the women of Afghanistan face in the present. Sei Shonagon had a diary which was kept hidden from the public because a woman doing such a thing was frowned upon. It was Shonagon’s unique way of expressing her inner emotions in her oppressive society. “Whatever people may think of my book, I still regret that it ever came to light.” (A, 258) She never wanted her diary writing to become publicized. She wrote these notes in her diary when she, “…though no one would notice what [she] was doing.” (A, 258)

In both examples women are facing oppression. However they ways in which they overcome such cruelty differ a great deal. Although the Afghan women’s choice may seem more dramatic the point is that these women saw no other choice but to act in the ways that they did.

Works Cited:

In The Prince, Machiavelli states that “…those princes who have accomplished great things are the ones who…knew how to manipulate the minds of men with shrewdness…” (C, 236) Princes are able to achieve the most success if they are cunning and very crafty. According to Machiavelli there are certain qualities such as compassion, faithfulness, integrity, and kindness that a prince must appear to possess. “It is not necessary “…for a prince to have all the qualities mentioned above, but it is certainly necessary that he appear to have them.” (A, 237) The image projected of a prince enormously affects his or her popularity with the public. Machiavelli emphasizes that appearing to have the desired image wanted by the public is the key.

On December 1^st the NY Times featured an article entitled, “The Governor of New Jersey Becomes a Star on YouTube”, which dealt with Governor Chris Christie’s unique use of videos and manipulation to gain the support of voters. According to Machiavelli these videos and the efforts being made by Governor Christie would be a great example of projecting a virtuous image. Although Christie is being made famous for his talking tough in the videos, he possesses the quality of being able to “…use scolding and ridicule strategically.”  Most politicians don’t use YouTube in the way that Christie does. His over 163 videos have allowed to him to prevail as a republican leader in a predominantly democratic state. Christie has obtained a “myriad” amount of fans and the numbers continue to grow. This is a great example of a modern day prince, or political figure, using and applying Machiavelli’s observations and words to its fullest.

Works Cited:

On November 16^th the NY Times published an article entitled, “Diana’s Ring Seals Prince William’s Marriage Plans”. In the article we learn of Prince William’s future wife Kate Middleton. She is a highly educated college graduate of the prestigious University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where the two first met. “Miss Middleton is a different sort of royal bride from Diana…” One of the major differences pointed out were their differing education levels. Middleton, if made queen one day would be the first in British history to actually have obtained a college degree. This alone says a lot about her “…tough and savvy…” personality, she is much stronger than Princess Diana in many aspects. Middleton’s future marriage to Prince William definitely creates an aura of eeriness due to the history of where her ring originates from. Princess Diana, was killed tragically and without any knowledge that it was to happen.

There are many comparisons that can be made between Kate Middleton in this NY Times article and the character of Shahrazad in “The Thousand and One Nights”.  Shahrazad “…had studied historical reports, and was acquainted with the sayings of men and the maxims of sages and kings.” (B, 414)  She was a very educated woman who along with Middleton has a tough edge. Shahrazad is putting herself in situation which is very questionable in wanting to marry the king. The king has women put to death the morning following their marriage and Shahrazad wants to marry him? She wants to marry the king to try to save more women from being killed, but in doing so she is putting herself at risk of a possibly tragic outcome.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/world/europe/17royal.html?scp=2&sq=diana&st=cse

            Niccolo Machiavelli’s letter from his book The Prince resembles a New York Times article about Republican stance on making the economy better. Both the book and the article stress the importance of appearance. In Niccolo Machiavelli’s book The Prince, Niccolo presents his perspective on how to gain and/or maintain power. In his perspective, Niccolo stresses the importance of maintaining a good public appearance. Niccolo mentions how maintaining a good public appearance does not require a person to have any substance in his quote “it is not necessary, then for a prince to have of the qualities mentioned above, but it is certainly necessary that he appear to have them.” (C, 237)

(double indent function) everyone sees what you appear to be, few touch what you are; and those few do not dare oppose the opinions of the many who have the majesty of the state defending them; and with regard to the actions of all men, and especially with princes where there is no court of appeal, we must look at the final result (C, 237)

In this quote by Machiavelli, he explains how important appearance is because majority of the people only see and judge solely on appearance. As a result, this majority will make the minority who actually knows whether or not a person has substance seem unnoticeable.

            The New York Times article relates to Machiavelli because Republicans have successfully created an image of being more capable of dealing with the economy. However, the main idea of the article is that Republicans have currently done little to fix economy. The article states how a policy document provided by the House Republicans called “Pledge to America” was criticized for providing little direction on how to deal with the economy due to its vagueness. In a statement by Phillip L. Swagel, an assistant Treasury secretary policy during President Bush’s presidency, he says “even if the next two years do not result in legislative compromises on taxes or entitlement reform or other issues, we will see a vigorous and open debate in Congress about economic policy – a huge change from the Obama administration’s closed-minded and self-righteous approach” (B3) shows strong relation to Machiavelli because Phillip L. Swagel clearly states it only matters that Republicans appear to be doing something rather than actually accomplishing a task. On the other hand, The Prince and the article are different because Machiavelli explains the importance of creating a good appearance for an individual or group, but the quote by Phillip L. Swagel in the article goes further by showing how damaging the appearance of the opposition can also be important.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/business/economy/01economists.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Economic%20Policy&st=cse

The workings of governments, like people, ought not to be transparent. Governments should not share certain things because once they are out there you cannot take it back, same goes for people.

In The Prince, Machiavelli makes a point of never leaving oneself without options of getting out of an agreement or promise. “It is necessary, therefore, to be a fox in order to know the traps, and a lion to frighten the wolves. … And so, a wise ruler cannot, nor should he, keep his word when doing so would be to his advantage and when the reasons that led him to make promises no longer exist.” (C, 236)

In the New York times article, it cites that certain things should be kept out the purview of others. “[Tunku Vardarajan, an conservative commentator said] ‘Diplomacy, to work at all effectively, must draw a line between the ‘consultative process’ and the ‘work product.’ This is but part of the human condition: Human beings need to consult, speculate, brainstorm, argue with each other — yes, even to gossip and say dopey things — in order to find their way through the difficult task of coming to an official, or publicly stated position which would then be open (legitimately) to criticism.’” (NY Times Article)

“[Zadie Smith] fears that by sharing so much — and having so much shared about themselves — these young people have lost any hope for an inner life. [She wrote] ‘I am dreaming of a Web that caters to a kind of person who no longer exists …  A private person, a person who is a mystery, to the world and — which is more important — to [their self]’’ (NY Times Article)

Some things whether it deals with an individual or governments should not be put out there; For once it is out there it “cannot go back in the bag”.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/business/media/06link.html?_r=1&hp

Machiavelli vs. Economics

A recent article in the NY Times discussed Republican economists trying to brainstorm ways for a budget reduction that were ultimately not sufficient enough to put into effect. “…[T]he policy document that House Republicans released… was criticized for its vagueness; it largely avoided specific proposals that might anger voters.” (NY Times B3). The proposals from the Republicans were said to be for “practical advice” and that “Their situation is not comparable to that of the Republicans who took control of Congress in 1994” said Tony Fratto, strategist. Unfortunately this attempt to fix our economy must be re-sought in much greater detail.

In relation to this article, Machiavelli tried to fix Italy’s economy but similarly failed at his attempt. His effort was done by writing the Prince a letter to convince him to step down and have someone else take over (Machiavelli being that someone else). Machiavelli acted as a nationalist by adding in numerous compliments to trick the Prince into his idea. His plan was to cunningly express a change that was desperately needed for Italy. “…[T]o honor a new prince, and if there is the material that might afford one who is wise and ingenious the occasion to give it a form that would bring honor to him and good to all the people of Italy…” (B 253).

Works Cited

 Chan, Sewell. “Economic Policy? More listen to Conservatives” New York Times. 01 December 2010, New York ed.: The New York Times Business Day B3 Print.

The popularity and success of a public figure often depends on the image he or she projects. Therefore, for many years politicians have been concerned with impressions they produce on the general public. In The Prince, Machiavelli suggests that “[i]t is not necessary … for a prince to have all of the qualities …, but it is certainly necessary that he appear to have them” (C, p. 237). He explains his position by saying that “[e]veryone sees what you appear to be, few touch what you are; and those few do not dare oppose the opinions of the many” (C, p. 237). For that reason, a good politician and leader needs to gain trust and convince the majority of ordinary people of the truth of his words. And then people in their turn will always support him, no matter what insiders think.

According to the recent article “First Round of Voting Ousts Islamists from Egypt’s Parliament” by Robert F. Worth, the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak tries to create an image of a democratic and fair leader. However, in the recent elections in the Egypt’s parliament the president’s National Democratic Party won all seats living Islamist opposition, and the Brotherhood party in particular, without any representation in the government. The outcome of these elections caused protests and demonstrations on the streets of Cairo. Following Machiavelli’s advice, Hosni Mubarak went too far in creating his image; and instead of becoming more popular with his people, the president evoked suspicions of voting fraud. So, people no longer believe in the image created by their leader. On the contrary, according to Hisham Kassem, a newspaper publisher and human rights advocate, they advise Mr. Mubarak to “[a]t least get creative in how you rig the elections”, because “[n]othing can stun [them] now” (Worth, 2010).