Documentary about The Prince: How the game is really played in politics. 1. He was a realist. 2.

Prince must be above all, powerful and ready to fight. Ruthless and cruel. Ready to lie, manipulate, and do violence. 3. Need to appear compassionate, moral, and devout. 4. Some say he invented modern politics. 5. Get real the man who neglects what should be done and what is actually done, is bound for self-destruction 6. The end justifies the means he is clear that the end is what counts. 7. He justifies harsh means as necessary for the common good. 8. How do you get and keep power? In Machiavellis time, it was dangerous and people needed personal protection constantly 9. Separation of politics and religion. Big theme. 10. He believed that states should use civilians in defense of the state, not mercenaries. That is how you get better soldiers and better citizens. 11. Leadership requires more than plans and policies. a. A prince should not deviate from good if possible, but do evil if it is necessary. b. He thought that exceptionalism was permissible when necessary. 12. The bond of love is one that men break when it is to their advantage to do so. But fear is strengthened by a dread of punishment which never abandons you. 13. Prince must have ability of the fox to find the snare, and the courage of the lion to drive off the wolves. 14. It is important to appear like one acts on principle, but not actually. 15. The main foundations of every state are good laws and good arms. And because you cannot have good laws without good arms, and where there good arms, good laws inevitably follow, I shall not discuss laws, but give my attention to arms. 16. Good arms are the arms of a citizen army, not mercenaries. Therefore, they take ownership. 17. Kissinger: There is no law of nature that says the United States has to be involved in every crisis. At the time we made the final decision we probably had no alternative. But on the road to the final decision, we certainly did not apply Machiavellis maxims. We never asked ourselves what is our objective here? What is our interest here? What are the means available? What is the best thing that can happen? What is the worst thing that can happen? (Bosnia) 18. Kissinger: We cannot afford the pure American exceptional approach indefinitely. It doesnt mean that every end justifies every means, but it means the purity we have tended to some of our academics and some of our leaders have insisted on will be much more difficult. 19. It is better to be feared than loved, if one cannot be both. Fear is useful. Hatred is counterproductive.