How relevant is Machiavelli's Prince for today's political leaders Essay

How relevant is Machiavelli's Prince for today's political leaders - Essay Example The book can be used as a manual for the politicians who yearn to win and stay in power as in his literature, Machiavelli guides a prince on the manner to act towards his enemies and applying both force and fraud in the course of war2. Regardless of the perceptions people have concerning politics, the book goes straight to the reality of how things work in what Machiavelli considers as effectual truth. It demonstrates that allies who exist in politics at home and across boarders are never really friends. Among the principles that are championed by Machiavelli is that leaders are always supposed to cover up their real intentions, make sure they cannot be predicted, and regularly act in a manner that is against mercy, faith, humanity and religion, so that they may be able to preserve the state, making ,Machiavelli’s name synonymous with the tyrants who are cunning. When the dismal perception of Machiavelli in regard to humanity is understood, it becomes easy to appreciate the ethical universe that he operates in as he begins his discussion that touches of virtues that a prince should have by discarding them immediately. According to him, virtues do not have utility and are simply products of a person’s imagination. In Machiavelli’s terms, truth is a factor of the effect or outcome associated with a specific action from the dictator’s perspective but not any intrinsic or rigid standard of value and obvious liberty or freedom is not among them. This creates the definition of the term effectual truth and Machiavelli defines himself as a relativist who adjusts to the situation why favoring dictatorship. This is the same kind of discourse that has been associated with the liberals as well as democrats; it has also been seen and heard in the self-proclaimed conservatives as well as the republicans. The introduction of a new approach in relation to the traditional political science by

Analyze one week of world economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analyze one week of world economy - Essay Example Also to be noticed is the fact that these figures were much better from those reported during the previous period. Moreover, the Yen strengthened during the second week of February, with the yen opening against the dollar at 119.4, and closing at 118.7. The Chinese economy portrayed a rosy picture, and showed that the Central Bank of the country is good at managing the affairs of the country. Consumer Price Index or inflation figures for the month of January showed China was able to keep its prices well in control with inflation clocking in at 0.8% YoY, compared to 1.5% during the previous year. Although MoM inflation remained the same as during the last period at 0.3%, it was still better than broad market expectations of 0.3% ("Economic Calender"). As far as the European Union is concerned, a rough view of the region can be made up by looking at the performance indicators of a few nations within the Union. Germany posted trade surplus for December (with figures being released on 9th Feb) of 21.8bn Euros, amidst market expectations of 18.3bn Euros. The betterment was witnessed on back of 3.4% increase in exports, while imports went down by 0.8%, this widening the balance and resulting in a trade surplus. Though 4Q GDP growth for Germany came in at 1.6% compared to expectations of 1.00%, a deceleration of 0.4% YoY portrayed a worrying picture for the economy. On the other hand, UK’s economy did not perform up to the mark, with industrial production growing not as strong as expected (0.7% vs 0.5%). The BRC Retail Sales Monitor also portrayed signs of worries as sales for January went down 0.2% YoY, amist market expectations of a 5% YoY growth. On an overall basis, the world economy does not seem to be in a very healthy position. With the US jobless claims going up and retail sales going down, it seems that customers lack the purchasing power to be