Leadership President Barack Obama Has Proven Himself

Leadership

President Barack Obama has proven himself to be a leader, as he has led the United States of America as Commander in Chief for the past four years. His leadership style would not typically be viewed as "Machiavellian," and yet a close reading of The Prince does reveal that Obama does have some "princely" features. For example, Chapter 23 of The Prince advises the leader to avoid flatterers. Flatterers are those who give false praise, or only praise and no constructive criticism. A flatterer is a "yes-man" who can be a destructive member of a team. Obama has had a difficult time in office, given that the congress is peopled with a majority of Republicans. Lawmakers in Washington certainly are not lavishing praise for the president. Obama's team of advisers offers constructive criticism. The Vice President, Joe Biden, says what is on his mind. For this reason, Obama has followed the advice of Machiavelli to avoid flatterers and instead be surrounded by honest people.

The Prince is unwavering and resolute. In spite of what some of Obama's detractors have said, the President has shown that he is stalwart in his political affairs and decisions. After he got elected, President Obama passed a landmark initiative that transformed the ways Americans can access healthcare services. Known colloquially as "Obamacare," the program proved that Obama was a man of his word. Similarly, President Obama helped to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law that encouraged, enabled, and even enforced the practice of discrimination in the United States military. Except for not shutting down Guantanamo Bay, Obama has kept to his word and remains a strong leader.

Although Obama has a strong record of pro-peace processes and favors diplomacy over war, he does understand what Machiavelli calls "the art of war." The art of war is an underlying philosophy of engagement. It does not mean that the leader is a good soldier. Far from it, the art of war applies to the thought patterns and strategies that guide effective military decision-making. President Obama serves the United States as the Commander-in-Chief. He makes executive military decisions, and the officers of the American military carry out those orders. During his Presidency, Obama helped to nab the terrorist who was responsible for many attacks on the United States including 9/11: the CIA-trained Osama bin Laden. The military exercise could not have happened if Obama had not understood the art of war.

Although Obama fits some descriptions of the Machiavellian Prince, the President is not entirely Machiavellian. The President seems to have many enemies, some of whom hate him to a degree that is pathological. These people are both ordinary citizens and politicians. Regardless of who they are, they have cultivated such an antagonistic and negative attitude that they can be destructive to the nation and to its leader. In The Prince, Machiavelli notes that the Prince needs to avoid being hated. The Prince should ideally be feared, but not hated. Being feared implies that the President has garnered a significant amount of respect.