Blog 3 (Sarah)

Realists often speak of preserving the state and maintaining sovereignty. While this makes sense, perhaps it is not necessarily the best approach all the time. In Machiavelli’s The Prince the advise to take initiative in political life and struggles is given however this may not be the best advise in all situations due to the fact that one’s information could be wrong and discussion and negotiation between parties should precede conflict.

As Machiavelli preaches that being bold and taking initiative is beneficial to one’s existence, it can also lead to downfall because of misinformation. Becoming involved in political struggles and conflict is a risky undertaking; it involves the possibility of loss of life and at times power. These risks become even more likely when relying on information from outside sources. For example the United States invaded Iraq under the pretenses that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction that could be used against the United States or her allies. However, upon invading, no such weapons were discovered. Bush, perhaps without realizing it, took Machiavelli’s advice to take initiative in the situation. Upon doing this however, some could argue that overall the actions that Bush took have diminished the United States global power. For example, the United States currently finds herself in more debt currently than at any other time in her history due in part to financing wars and the good image that the United States once upheld has been dragged through the mud. Overall it is important to evaluate the situation before taking initiative in political struggles.

Another issue with the advice of taking initiative in political struggle is that it does not leave much room for negotiation and discussion. Without these vital tools, how can we as a globe avoid major conflict? Perhaps Machiavelli would argue that you cannot avoid conflict, but in response to this argument, one has to acknowledge that the utilization of negotiation does limit conflict while still allowing it to happen if need be. The limitation of conflict is becoming more pertinent every year as the number of countries and organizations with massive amounts of firepower grows. The idea that the next large-scale war could be our last is something to be looked at critically.

The idea that Machiavelli poses about taking initiative in political struggle seems to at once support other claims he makes in the book but also contradict them. The idea that the state should be upheld at all cost is a theme in Machiavelli’s writings and while taking initiative in others political struggles can uplift one’s own state it also has the possibility to destroy it. The benefit lays in the balance, going to far can lead to destruction while not doing anything could also be harmful to the state. The coherence of the this portion of Machiavelli’s argument and his others lays in the moderation; going overboard is just as bad as not doing anything at all.