Prince Obama

On January 25th, 2011, the most recent president of the United States, Barack Obama, gave his State of the Union Address.  For anyone who didn't hear it, please follow the link - it was a fascinating read.

But as I was reading, one person kept coming to mind - Niccolo Machiavelli.

Image taken from http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Machiavelli.

Niccolo Machiavelli, a 15th century Italian political philosopher, wrote the book The Prince.  In it, he details the tactics necessary to maintain a position of power.  His theory states that a prince must do whatever is necessary to maintain his power, and leave morality completely out of the equation.  After all, one can only do good or evil if one is in power — power is the primary goal.

But to what extent is the current leader of the world's most powerful nation, the United States, a Machiavellian Prince?  In what ways does Obama embrace — or reject — Machiavellian principles?

The way I see it, there are two links that can be made between the Prince and the State of the Union Address: Generosity and Miserliness, one of the chapters of Machiavelli's book; and whether it is better to be loved or be feared.

Firstly, generosity and miserliness.  Obama introduced tax cuts in December, and boasts about that in the Address:

We did that in December.  Thanks to the tax cuts we passed, Americans' paychecks are a little bigger today.  Every business can write off the full cost of new investments that they make this year.

Machiavelli warns against tax hikes, especially as a result of lavish spending, in the sixteenth chapter of the Prince.

... he will be obliged, eventually, if he wishes to maintain his reputation for generosity, to burden the people with excessive taxes and to do everything possible to raise funds.  This will begin to make him hateful to his subjects... 

Obama also advocates governmental economic support of various companies, such as the Allen brothers' roofing company, which, with a government loan, transformed itself into a producer of solar shingles.  He is also asking Congress to eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars currently being given to big-name oil companies.  All of this coincides with Machiavelli's opinions - a prince (one in power) should try to be generous as much as possible, but not spend frivolously, leading to tax hikes and, as a result, the animosity of their people.

Secondly, whether it is better to be loved or to be feared.  In Machiavelli's opinion, it is better to be both; but in the event that one must prevail, he says that being feared is safer.

For one can generally say this about men: that they are ungrateful, fickle, simulators and deceivers, avoiders of danger, greedy for gain; and while you work for their good they are completely yours, offering you their blood, their property, their lives, and their sons, as I said earlier, when danger is far away; but when it comes nearer to you they turn away.

In his Address, Obama identifies with the American people.  "We are the first nation," "now it's our turn," "we know what's possible from our children."  He talks about children, about the success of the American nation, and is clearly endearing himself to the American people.  Nowhere does he threaten, or seem to brand himself as a fearful character.  Clearly, he does not particularly adhere to Machiavelli's preference of being feared over being loved.

To conclude, Machiavelli has had a significant influence on today's views of politics, and his tactics are used by rulers all over the world; and while Obama does adhere to certain aspects of his teachings, he does not subscribe to all of them.  Instead, America's current president has devised his own tactics, and is blazing a trail in these uncertain days of the United States' history.