In “The Prince,” Machiavelli describes two general roles for the leader to play: the lion and the fox. The lion represents brute force, and this force is direct and honest so all may see its intention and fear it.
Although this can be effective, the lion falls more easily into the trappings of his own one-sided mindset and the plans of his more perceptive foes.
The fox represents cunning, which indirectly deceives and disarms its enemies before destroying them. Although the fox has the advantage in a strategic approach, he lacks the force and will of the lion. For Machiavelli, the perfect leader could play either role, depending on the demands of a particular situation.
President Bush and his administrators are unabashedly, and somewhat unwisely, lions. The fox is nowhere to be found amongst the proud and lofty rhetoric of the executive branch.
To Mr. Bush’s credit, however, a lion is exactly what our nation needed in the first three years of a post-9/11 world. His efforts have inalterably changed the Middle East, and I believe that this change is positive.
Besides the obvious benefits of having the most sophisticated and potent fighting force in the contemporary world right in the backyards of our enemies (the building of a stable), Westernized Iraq will certainly be a shining example to its more brutish neighbors. Early repercussions have already manifested themselves in Libya, where everyone’s favorite lunatic Col. Qaddafi agreed to give up his nuclear program.
While this is all well and good, Bush’s rather weak mental vigor prevents him from adapting to new conditions. He is unable to change from the lion to the fox.
Due to his excessively aggressive behavior toward the United Nations, the UN is reluctant to help in Iraq when we need them most. People around the world loathe America.
We need a fox.
Fortunately for us, while Machiavelli may have written for princes who often spent numerous decades as rulers, we have the luxury of voting for our commander-in-chief every four years.
A strong Democratic candidate is just what our country needs to balance our foreign policy so that we may utterly crush the villains and restore honor to the once-glorious Middle East.
From our experience with Bill Clinton, we know that moderate Democrats are especially suited for the craftiness of the fox. From East Timor to the Balkans, Mr. Clinton used the military and used it often. Most importantly, he acted while the entire free world loved every minute of it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a fox.
To be sure, Clinton had trouble as a lion. He lacked the will to pursue terrorists prior to 9/11 and he allowed both North Korea and Iraq to slip under the radar of international accountability (no, a few salvos of missiles don’t count).
For this reason I am thankful for the style of leadership Bush has demonstrated in terms of foreign policy. Yet anyone can see this method has limits, and must be altered to suit the times.
Make no mistake, if America is not an empire in the classical sense, we are damn close enough. This power harbors serious moral responsibility toward foreign policy decisions. We must take the position that the course of history has given us while resisting the temptation towards hubris.
We must not over-extend our capabilities even while we cannot retreat into our own fortifications. Times change, and we owe it to ourselves to examine the need to adapt to new challenges.