War and Culture

The essay “Morals of a Prince” made the name Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)a synonym for cynical cunning. Four hundred years before the 20th century applied Nietzsche’s ideas on the “transvaluation of values,” the aristocratic Florentine inverted the meaning of moral contrasts like mercy and cruelty, stinginess and generosity, honesty and deceit. Although Machiavelli may have meant his work as a satire, its paean to manipulative self-interest still illumines the methods of rulers, as in the ongoing imbroglio regarding Iraq.

Mr. Clinton has been making brave speeches again, demanding Saddam comply with UN inspectors and fretting about “the credibility of the United Nations Security Council.” In February he was downright apocalyptic. “What if Saddam fails to comply and we fail to act, or take some ambiguous third route? He will rebuild his arsenal and someday, I guarantee you, he’ll use it.” Clinton pledged to apply military force if Saddam barred UNSCOM inspectors.

Meanwhile the governmental eclipse of Iraqi involvement in the Oklahoma City bombing continues. The Iraqi-PLO axis is a constant of modern terrorism; that’s Machiavellian.

Macchiavelli observed that people “are so simple of mind and so much dominated by their immediate needs that a deceitful ruler will always find many to deceive.” Bill Clinton has made a career of this situation. (more…)