Obama the Machiavellian
Spring 2012 – Western Studies II
Research Assignment
May 8, 2012
Is Obama a Prince?
In the year 1531 the famous political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli’s wrote a treatise entitled The Prince. It explains the proper guidelines for a prince to successfully lead a republic. Although this sixteenth century politician’s main purpose was to unite a separate Italy, his political theories have been taken into deep consideration and are commonly exercised in politics today. If Machiavelli were alive today he would agree that qualities of the current president Barack Obama coincide with his prince-like standards and make him the ideal candidate for the 2012 Presidential Election.
Residing in the Florence Italy during the Renaissance, the founder of modern political science, Niccolo Machiavelli, was well known for his harsh political views. During this time period most European countries began to unite into powers while Italy was still comprised of city-states and controlled by dominant families. The motivation for Machiavelli’s famous literature came from the desire to fix the failed republic he was living in. His theories stemmed from politician’s military defenses he witnessed in Florence and other historical events. In his famous book, Machiavelli states his ideas on how a successful prince should act as the head of his people. He elaborates on the ideas of how a prince’s appearance should differ from reality, the proper tactics of war and peace, the appropriate way to gain favor of people and soldiers, drawing lines between liberality and meanness, and most importantly whether it is better to be loved or feared. Over the past four years the United States has witnessed how Obama has implemented his ideas of “change” on the United States; with deeper analysis of his “change” he has revealed similar qualities to Machiavelli’s ideal Prince. In the beginning of Obama’s campaign for presidency in 2008 he made the world believe “Yes We Can” change for the
Research Assignment
May 8, 2012
Is Obama a Prince?
In the year 1531 the famous political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli’s wrote a treatise entitled The Prince. It explains the proper guidelines for a prince to successfully lead a republic. Although this sixteenth century politician’s main purpose was to unite a separate Italy, his political theories have been taken into deep consideration and are commonly exercised in politics today. If Machiavelli were alive today he would agree that qualities of the current president Barack Obama coincide with his prince-like standards and make him the ideal candidate for the 2012 Presidential Election.
Residing in the Florence Italy during the Renaissance, the founder of modern political science, Niccolo Machiavelli, was well known for his harsh political views. During this time period most European countries began to unite into powers while Italy was still comprised of city-states and controlled by dominant families. The motivation for Machiavelli’s famous literature came from the desire to fix the failed republic he was living in. His theories stemmed from politician’s military defenses he witnessed in Florence and other historical events. In his famous book, Machiavelli states his ideas on how a successful prince should act as the head of his people. He elaborates on the ideas of how a prince’s appearance should differ from reality, the proper tactics of war and peace, the appropriate way to gain favor of people and soldiers, drawing lines between liberality and meanness, and most importantly whether it is better to be loved or feared. Over the past four years the United States has witnessed how Obama has implemented his ideas of “change” on the United States; with deeper analysis of his “change” he has revealed similar qualities to Machiavelli’s ideal Prince. In the beginning of Obama’s campaign for presidency in 2008 he made the world believe “Yes We Can” change for the
Bibliography: Lloyd, Brown. The American Thinker, "Is Obama a Prince Among Men?.” March 28, 2009. Accessed April 11, 2012. http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/03/is_obama_a_prince_among_men.html. Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1998. U.S. Energy Information Administration, "This Week In Petroleum." May 2, 2012. Accessed May 3, 2012. http://205.254.135.7/oog/info/twip/twip.asp. "Timeline of Barack Obama 's First Year in Office."The Guardian. January 20, 2010. Accessed May 5, 2012. Goldenberg, Suzanne and Ewen MacAskill. The Guardian. “Obama shuts network of CIA 'ghost prisons '”. January 22, 2009. Accessed May 5, 2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/23/obama-rendition-torture MacAskill, Ewen. "Barak Obama sets out new strategy or Afghanistan war" The Guardian. March 27, 2009. Accessed May 2, 2012. www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/27/obama-new-strategy-afghanistan-war Wilson, Scottt [ 11 ]. Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, (Chicage: The University of Chicago Press, 1998), 70.