Is Machiavelli's the Prince Still True Today?

Your Prompt: Machiavelli said that rivers and men can be controlled, but cannot be trusted. Discuss what this statement means and whether or not you think it is true. How Machiavelli’s position on how a leader (or prince) should behave reflected in today’s society (or, how is it NOT reflected in today’s society)? Be specific. This is an informal writing assignment in regard to tone, style, diction, etc. Please try to include a hyperlink AND an image or video. Please include at least one hyperlink and an image or video.


I believe that by saying this, Machiavelli means that leaders could easily control their people, but cannot necessarily trust them or win their trust. It is unwise for a ruler to trust his people completely because he can never be sure if they are genuine. Therefore, it is better for a Prince to use force to control his men, and he should not hesitate to use violence, be seen as a miser, go back on his words or do any other vice to hold on to his power. This also ties in to his belief that, as a ruler, it is better to be feared than to be loved. It is never a good idea to rely solely on the people's love, for human hearts change quickly and most people judge others by their appearance rather than their true character.



In my opinion, what Machiavelli believed in was true in his time, and still has its reasons today. Nowadays, most nations in this world have embraced democracy, and people are no longer mere subjects before their King. However, we can often see that there is not complete trust between the government and their people. The government of the United States of America, who claims itself to be one of the most democratic of all, has a long history of creating distrust in their people. In 1971, while the Vietnam War was still raging, the New York Times released the partial contents of the Pentagon Papers, confirming many Americans' fears and speculations on the government's real intentions and actions in Vietnam, and fueling a wave of anti-government protest across the nation. Likewise, in 2013, Edward Snowden disclosed the National Security Agency's massive international surveillance program, Prism, and planted even more distrust in the hearts of the already wary people around the world. The US government is constantly criticised for its distrust and lies to its people. But according to Machiavelli, the leaders in Washington have good reasons for what they did, because as he had stated, sometimes to control and even protect the people, a Prince has to break his promises and do seemingly wrong deeds. Whichever side of the argument is true, it is clear that there cannot always be trust between the ruler and the people.

 

http://www.pcinpact.com/news/80720-de-nsa-aux-entreprises-americaines-nage-en-eaux-troubles.htm

http://nsarchive.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/ellsberg_time1.jpg




Justification for Prism:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/07/201371704225666982.html