“It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.” ~ Niccolò Machiavelli
“The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.” ~ Adolph Hitler
In order to survive, primitive
man had to use his strength to overcome hunger and other basic needs. He fought
over small rations he could find, until he realized that hunting in a group and
as a team could achieve better results. Cooperation meant sharing the spoil
equally. However, there were those who were not able to join the hunt and
needed a share, and that was the beginning of altruism. As man evolved, so did
his brain. To facilitate hunting they made tools. This, coupled with
agriculture (planting seed and growing and harvesting crops) put human being
one-step above animals. After many wars, leaders discovered that they could
enslave prisoners of war (instead of exterminating them) and exploit slaves’
labor for their own benefits. Hence, slavery became another reason for wars,
resulting subjugation of captured warriors. As societies developed into
civilizations, wars became a tool for ambitious leaders in order to expand
their empire and benefit toil of others. In the advent of a big empire such as
Iran, Greece, or Rome, the necessity of having a regular army was envisaged. In
order to recruit people into such armies, patriotism (regarding the government
or the king, not necessarily the populous) was encouraged. Although the
military was characterized to exist for defense of the mother nation, it has
always been utilized for attacking weaker nations when opportunity arose.
Ordinary people were still against wars, but they had no choice when the
dictator forced them to join his army. Afterwards, in addition to nationalism,
governments found separation and division (race, religion, creed, and even
sexual preferences) combined with propaganda, as suitable tools to persuade
people into acquiescence. When there was no enemy, it became necessary to
create one.
In 1498, Niccolò Machiavelli began his career
as an active politician in the independent city-state of Florence, engaging in
diplomatic missions through France and Germany as well as Italy. After more
than a decade of public service, he was driven from his post when the republic
collapsed. He began writing one of his most famous books, The Prince, a
manuscript for rulers and leaders. Machiavelli originally wrote Principe (The
Prince) in 1505, in hopes of securing the favor of the ruling Medici family, as
he deliberately made its claims provocative. The Prince is an intensely
practical guide to the exercise of raw political power over a Renaissance
principality: “he who is the cause of another becoming powerful is ruined;
because that predominancy has been brought about either by astuteness or else
by force, and both are distrusted by him who has been raised to power,”(P.15).
The book starts with the definition of principality and types of it;
hereditary, new, mixed. Next, it advises a prince how to hold his principality,
whether acquired by force or inherited, and whether the principality has the
same language and customs as the ruler or it differs: “the prince who holds
a country differing in the above respects ought to make himself the head and
defender of his powerful neighbours, and to weaken the more powerful amongst
them,”(P.8). In every prescription, related examples are made of current or
historical events. The book moves on to describe the kingdom of the Turks
(Constantinople) in comparison with the kingdom of France at the time, as two
different ways of running municipalities, and verifies by the example of
Alexander taking over the whole kingdom of Iran just by removing the king,
Darius. Following chapters discuss the manners principalities were acquired and
what sort of governing tools they needed. Soldiers and mercenaries and
different types of them are subjects of the following several chapters. Then the
book discusses the character and personality of a prince and how a prince
should act: “A prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything
else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole
art that belongs to hi who rules, and it is of such force that it not only
upholds those who are born princes, but it often enables men to rise from a
private station to that rank,”(P.67). In a chapter titled “Liberality and
Meanness” the book considers liberalism as a preferred character as long as one
does not appear liberal. However, at the end of the chapter it changes the
direction: “And a prince should guard himself, above all things, against
being despised and hated; and liberality leads you to both. Therefore it is
wiser to have a reputation for meanness which brings reproach without hatred,
than to be compelled through seeking a reputation for liberality to incur a
name for rapacity which begets reproach with hatred,”(P.77). Machiavelli
advises rulers to be cruel and hated: “so long as he keeps his subjects
united and loyal, ought not to mind the reproach of cruelty… is much safer to
be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispenses
with,”(P.78,79). In the following chapter the book speaks of law in oppose
to force. Taking other descriptions of the chapter into account, it seems as
what is called force is in fact torture: “You must know there are two ways
of contesting, the one by the law, the other by force; the first method is
proper to men, the second to beasts; but because the first is frequently not
sufficient, it is necessary to have recourse to the second,”(P.83). With
regards to having secretaries and their flatteries the guidance goes like this:
“men will always prove untrue to you unless they are kept constraint,”
(P.116). For the question of being adventurous or cautious Machiavelli
recommends: “I consider that it is better to be adventurous than cautious,
because fortune is a woman, and if you wish to keep her under it is necessary
to beat and ill-use her…,”(P.124). There are many other ideas in this book
that are still used by rulers all over the world, such as the notion that “result
justifies the means” or “the best time to find a soldier is when the
unemployment is high” and “the best soldier is dedicated to a cause (religion?)
tin which he would die for” and “the best environment to create a war is fear
and conviction”.
In contrast with what we
have been told repeatedly by the media, rivalry, competition, greed, egocentricity,
envy, distrust, resentment, and jealousy were not parts of early men’s
characters, and these traits were not (and are not) elements of human nature.
However, there have always been those individuals in minority who possessed these
qualities. When such people were in command, they used people’s fears, beliefs,
and patriotic feelings in order to instigate wars: “The wish to acquire is
in truth very natural and common, and men always do so when they can, and for
this they will be praised not blamed; but when they cannot do so, yet wish to
do so by any means, then there is folly and blame,”(P.13). The enemy could
also be a real person or a phenomenon; a dictator who has laid out the cause
for war, or a theory such as communism, or someone’s assumed advantage like nuclear
power, or an invented phenomena such as terrorism, or fear of a past experience
such as holocaust. Of course, it would help to pass anti-immigrant legislatures
and promote racism, sexism, and homophobia!
The main purpose of a
military is not for defense but for offence. Depending on the societal culture
and government’s policy, the alibi differs in each aggression. In the old time,
the emperor did not need to invent any reasoning. He would send an emissary to
a smaller nation demanding taxes. The smaller nation would typically not
comply, and that would be the grounds for a military attack. The official
reason for a war can be religion (crusade), ideology (Nazism), defending a weak
nation against the powerful (US attacks on Cuba and Philippines against Spain),
revenge (President W. Bush in Afghanistan), or simply stopping a government
from achieving certain weapon, even if there is no proof that such government
is attempting to achieve such weapon (WMD in Iraq). In the case of war on
Afghanistan, the alibi of 9-11 was created (or manipulated) by the Bush
government, as Vietnam and Korean wars were started by manufacturing such
alibis. Although the majority of the wars aim on expansion, some have started
in order to distract the population from the tyranny and oppression of the same
government. In recent years, capitalist wars have been waged on smaller nations
in order to exploit raw materials and cheap labor, in addition to expanding
markets for consumable goods. All the 21st century wars that have started by
the U.S. government and its European allies and Middle Eastern puppets (Saudi
Arabia, Jordan, Emirates, and Israel) are for such purposes.
The epic of Gilgamesh or
Iliad and Odyssey glorify heroism, which equates nationalism and honor. Almost
all the ancient wars were fought for expanding a territory, or to move to a
more fertile land. Reading through the pages of history books, we learn that
the role of nationalism in encouraging people to participate in the worst human
(or inhuman) undertaking, killing one another, was realized. The longest
military action in history was the war of crusades, a showdown between the East
and the West over religious beliefs. However, with the advance of technology,
more sophisticated weaponry has been made that results the last world war to
achieve the most number of fatalities, not only through direct combat but also
with genocide and with the use of nuclear energy. The purpose of creating a
military is to wait for an excellent opportunity for expansion. It has also
played a role in deterring aggressors. However in these days and age when every
nation knows the exact arsenal of other nations, and considering that the US
has been acting as the police of the world for many years, this reason is
losing face. Military actions were diminished in frequency during the Cold War.
Those military actions that were pursued were to protect corrupt officials and
leaders of friendly governments, and to topple any nationalist, socialist, or
secularist regime. The policy was altered again after the demise of the Soviet
Union, to “direct attack” on other unfriendly or unpopular governments.
Following table, borrowed from Wikipedia, shows 2010 military budget of 15
nations with the highest budgetary figures:
World Total 1 630
1 United States 698
2 China 119
3 United Kingdom 59.6
4 France 59.3
5 Russia 58.7
6 Japan 54.5
7 Germany 45.2
8 Saudi Arabia 45.2
9 India 41.3
10 Italy 37.0
11 Brazil 33.5
12 South Korea 27.6
13 Australia 24.0
14 Canada 22.8
15 Turkey 17.5
US military budget almost
equals the budget of the rest of the world combined. Presently, the largest
industry in the US is military. Dwight D. Eisenhower, a military man himself,
in his last speech to the nation in January 17, 1961 when warning about the
military industrial complex, also mentioned the followings: “This
conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is
new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political,
even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the
Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet
we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and
livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. In the
councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted
influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The
potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or
democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and
knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and
military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that
security and liberty may prosper together.” However, the policy of the
government before and after Eisenhower concerning military has not changed.
Long before this nation became an independent state, genocide of Indians was an
individual undertaking. American independence that started in 1776 culminated
the uprising against the British Empire. Civil war divided the new nation into
two camps of north and south, which left about 618,000 dead. This was the only
time that the military was directly employed against Americans. The first
military action against other nations was an attack on Hawaii, followed by
occupying Philippine when Spanish invaders were conquered. War in Cuba was another
war with Spain that resulted in domination of Cuba. The wealth gathered from
the two World Wars made America prosperous and the supreme power of the world.
With the advent of the Eastern bloc, coupled with losing two wars in Vietnam
and Korea, direct military actions turned into covert operations. Through such
policy, US began toppling South American and Asian governments through Coups, to
replace them with puppet governments. After the collapse of the Soviet Empire,
military actions were renewed by attacking Grenada, Panama, Afghanistan, Iraq,
Libya, and Syria. Such military adventurism is continuing to-date, thanks to
Machiavelli’s detailed instructions.
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Niccolò Machiavelli: The
Prince- PDF Version: http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince.pdf
