Machiavellian Realism and U. s. Foreign Policy

While teaching courses in political theory at Boston Univeristy, and fascinated by the figure of Machiavelli, I came across the remarkable volume by Ralph Roeder, The Man of the Renaissance, with its brilliant portraits of the dissident Savonarola and the toady Machiavelli. At the same time I noted the respect with which Machiavelli was treated by people on all parts of the political spectrum. The Vietnam War led many people, including myself, to look more closely at the history of United States foreign policy, and to me there was a distinct Machiavellian thread running through that history. This essay appeared in my book Declarations of Independence (HarperCollins, 1991).

INTERESTS: THE PRINCE AND THE CITIZEN