The Prince 2.0: Applying Machiavellian Strategy to Contemporary Political Life (The Steppe and Beyond: Studies on Central Asia)

This Pivot updates the ideas of the famous political philosopher from the Italian Renaissance, Machiavelli, for the 21st century, using case studies from the West and from Kazakhstan to demonstrate the utility of Machiavelli's ideas for contemporary political life. In truth, Machiavelli's ideas have never lost their value. Although "Machiavellian" as an adjective tends to describe amoral cynicism in contemporary usage, Machiavelli's ideas were deeply ethical and oriented towards achieving long-term goals. Contemporary readers may be put off by medieval language and examples, misled into believing Machiavelli speaks to a different age; and yet the author here explores how Machiavellian strategy can be of value-- ethical as well as practical--in the 21st century. Jean-François Caron is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Nazarbayev University where he teaches Political Theory Front Matter ....Pages i-x Introductory Remarks (Jean-François Caron)....Pages 1-5 On the Objectives of Governments: Preserving the Sovereignty of the State (Jean-François Caron)....Pages 7-11 On the Objectives of Governments: Preventing Domestic Conflicts (Jean-François Caron)....Pages 13-21 On Human Nature and How to Control It (Jean-François Caron)....Pages 23-32 The Required Virtues of Political Leaders in Democratic Societies (Jean-François Caron)....Pages 33-38 When Is It Necessary to Entrust Governance to One Individual: To Save a Democracy and Its Principles (Jean-François Caron)....Pages 39-44 The Necessity to Entrust Power to One Individual: To Create a New State (Jean-François Caron)....Pages 45-54 The Required Qualities of a Prince (Jean-François Caron)....Pages 55-62 How Princes Ought to Be Perceived (Jean-François Caron)....Pages 63-71 Why Princes Are Becoming More Popular Today (Jean-François Caron)....Pages 73-76 Back Matter ....Pages 77-83 This Pivot updates the ideas of the famous political philosopher from the Italian Renaissance, Machiavelli, for the 21st century, using case studies from the West and from Kazakhstan to demonstrate the utility of Machiavelli's ideas for contemporary political life. In truth, Machiavelli's ideas have never lost their value. Although "Machiavellian" as an adjective tends to describe amoral cynicism in contemporary usage, Machiavelli's ideas were deeply ethical and oriented towards achieving long-term goals. Contemporary readers may be put off by medieval language and examples, misled into believing Machiavelli speaks to a different age; and yet the author here explores how Machiavellian strategy can be of value-- ethical as well as practical--in the 21st century. Jean-François Caron is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Nazarbayev University where he teaches Political Theory Acknowledgments 7 Contents 8 Chapter 1: Introductory Remarks 10 Chapter 2: On the Objectives of Governments: Preserving the Sovereignty of the State 15 Chapter 3: On the Objectives of Governments: Preventing Domestic Conflicts 20 Chapter 4: On Human Nature and How to Control It 29 Chapter 5: The Required Virtues of Political Leaders in Democratic Societies 39 Chapter 6: When Is It Necessary to Entrust Governance to One Individual: To Save a Democracy and Its Principles 45 Chapter 7: The Necessity to Entrust Power to One Individual: To Create a New State 51 Chapter 8: The Required Qualities of a Prince 61 Chapter 9: How Princes Ought to Be Perceived 69 Chapter 10: Why Princes Are Becoming More Popular Today 78 Additional Readings 82 On Machiavelli and Machiavellianism: 82 On the Management of Ethnocultural Diversity: 83 On Charles de Gaulle: 84 On Nursultan Nazarbayev: 84 On Mustafa Kemal: 84 On Lee Kwan Yew: 84 Index 85