Gabe O'Friel
European Studies
16 September 2010
Mr. Mettee
Dear Mr. Machiavelli,
As you said in your book, The Prince, "A Prince...should have no care or thought but for war" (Chapter XIV). Today, there is a certain war that you should be concerned about. There is an ongoing conflict between Israeli and Palestinian peoples, and the tension is high. I will start be describing how this conflict began.
After World War II, the UN decided to give the Jewish people somewhere to live. It was decided that they would get their holy land of Israel. However, there were already many Palestinian people living there, who were pushed away. Now, the majority of the Palestinian people live in two territories; the West Bank and the Gaza strip. According to Daniel Byman, "the biggest obstacle to peace between Israelis and Palestinians is the emergence of Hamas as the de facto government of the Gaza Strip, where 1.5 million Palestinians reside" (How to Handle Hamas). Hamas is classified as a terrorist group by the United States and they are the current government of the Gaza strip. Thirteen militant groups, including the Hamas, a "terrorist" group controlling the Gaza strip, "vowed Thursday to step up attacks on Israeli targets to foil peace negotiations" (Akram, Gaza: Militant Groups). The Hamas is definitely going to be a problem in attempting to create peace, so they need to be dealt with. There are a large amount of articles in the New York Times with advice on the situation, but here is my view based on your book, The Prince.
The first course of action that you should advise your client to undertake is to choose a side. You said, "A Prince is likewise esteemed...who without reserve openly declares for one against another, this being always a more advantageous course than to stand neutral" (Chapter XXI). The peace treaties in Israel and Palestine are obviously not working, as represented by the killings, so there needs to be a third party to offer support for one side. That third party is the United States military. In consideration of which side to become allied with, an alliance with the Israeli people would be the wisest choice because Israel maintains full control over 60 percent of the West Bank, and the conflict is in Israel itself. Also, the Israeli people are probably very upset with the recent killing of four people, which included one pregnant woman, and would be quick to ally against a common enemy.
Once you have allied with the Israeli people, there is another goal to accomplish. As you said in The Prince, "On seizing a state, the usurper should make haste to inflict what injuries he must, and afterwards win them over by benefits" (Chapter VIII). With troops from Israel and the U.S. united, fighting off the Palestinian people should be and easier task. The main goals should be attacking the people with power, especially those in Hamas, in the West Bank and the Gaza strip. In doing this, you will be doing the same thing Duke Valentino did, as you described in your book. He killed a man in the market place of Cesena as an example to all others in opposition of him. Then, the weakened people remaining will, hopefully, be more willing to comply. After this is done, you will want to win over the remaining population with generosity. If they do not show signs of compliance, it may be necessary to imitate Duke Valentino again. As you said, "It is far safer to be feared than loved" (Chapter XVII). Then, do the same thing; treat the remaining people with civility as to not be hated. To be hated would be the worst possible scenario. Advise your client to do everything in his power to not become hated.
If, however, your client seems to think that this course of action is too violent of an approach, there is another option. While kicking the Palestinian people out of Israel completely could be an option, you said in chapter XVII of your book to, above everything else, not take others property. This would result in the people becoming enraged and hating you, and become more violent. So, a better choice would be to integrate both the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples. As you said in The Prince, "the safest course is either to destroy them, or to go and live with them" (Chapter V). Because destroying them is not available as an option at this point, it is best to have them live with each other. So, the Israeli people can send colonies to the Palestinian occupied areas of the West Bank and the Gaza strip in attempt to create peace.
To be honest, that approach probably would not result in anything good. Sending in colonies could end in bloodshed because we know that Hamas has threatened to attack again. So, the smartest choice would be to advise your client to do what you said in your book; be a man of action, and fortune will come your way. The action that should be taken is to choose a side, which would be Israel, and do something about the situation. Send invading forces into Palestinian territories, and quickly take out the figureheads who are leading the anti-peace rallies. When they see that their leaders have been eradicated, they will be more easily persuaded to submit to defeat, or more willing to make a peace treaty. Once this is done would be the ideal time to integrate the cultures. Send in many Israeli people to Palestinian neighborhoods, so the people can become friendly with one another. And, so religion does not become a problem, it would be best to declare freedom of religion. Slowly, these people will be more accustomed with each other and become peaceful at last.
The method of inflicting necessary injuries quickly is a good approach for this difficult situation. Advise your client to follow the steps that I have provided you, based on the knowledge from your book, and all will be well.
European Studies
16 September 2010
Mr. Mettee
Dear Mr. Machiavelli,
As you said in your book, The Prince, "A Prince...should have no care or thought but for war" (Chapter XIV). Today, there is a certain war that you should be concerned about. There is an ongoing conflict between Israeli and Palestinian peoples, and the tension is high. I will start be describing how this conflict began.
After World War II, the UN decided to give the Jewish people somewhere to live. It was decided that they would get their holy land of Israel. However, there were already many Palestinian people living there, who were pushed away. Now, the majority of the Palestinian people live in two territories; the West Bank and the Gaza strip. According to Daniel Byman, "the biggest obstacle to peace between Israelis and Palestinians is the emergence of Hamas as the de facto government of the Gaza Strip, where 1.5 million Palestinians reside" (How to Handle Hamas). Hamas is classified as a terrorist group by the United States and they are the current government of the Gaza strip. Thirteen militant groups, including the Hamas, a "terrorist" group controlling the Gaza strip, "vowed Thursday to step up attacks on Israeli targets to foil peace negotiations" (Akram, Gaza: Militant Groups). The Hamas is definitely going to be a problem in attempting to create peace, so they need to be dealt with. There are a large amount of articles in the New York Times with advice on the situation, but here is my view based on your book, The Prince.
The first course of action that you should advise your client to undertake is to choose a side. You said, "A Prince is likewise esteemed...who without reserve openly declares for one against another, this being always a more advantageous course than to stand neutral" (Chapter XXI). The peace treaties in Israel and Palestine are obviously not working, as represented by the killings, so there needs to be a third party to offer support for one side. That third party is the United States military. In consideration of which side to become allied with, an alliance with the Israeli people would be the wisest choice because Israel maintains full control over 60 percent of the West Bank, and the conflict is in Israel itself. Also, the Israeli people are probably very upset with the recent killing of four people, which included one pregnant woman, and would be quick to ally against a common enemy.
Once you have allied with the Israeli people, there is another goal to accomplish. As you said in The Prince, "On seizing a state, the usurper should make haste to inflict what injuries he must, and afterwards win them over by benefits" (Chapter VIII). With troops from Israel and the U.S. united, fighting off the Palestinian people should be and easier task. The main goals should be attacking the people with power, especially those in Hamas, in the West Bank and the Gaza strip. In doing this, you will be doing the same thing Duke Valentino did, as you described in your book. He killed a man in the market place of Cesena as an example to all others in opposition of him. Then, the weakened people remaining will, hopefully, be more willing to comply. After this is done, you will want to win over the remaining population with generosity. If they do not show signs of compliance, it may be necessary to imitate Duke Valentino again. As you said, "It is far safer to be feared than loved" (Chapter XVII). Then, do the same thing; treat the remaining people with civility as to not be hated. To be hated would be the worst possible scenario. Advise your client to do everything in his power to not become hated.
If, however, your client seems to think that this course of action is too violent of an approach, there is another option. While kicking the Palestinian people out of Israel completely could be an option, you said in chapter XVII of your book to, above everything else, not take others property. This would result in the people becoming enraged and hating you, and become more violent. So, a better choice would be to integrate both the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples. As you said in The Prince, "the safest course is either to destroy them, or to go and live with them" (Chapter V). Because destroying them is not available as an option at this point, it is best to have them live with each other. So, the Israeli people can send colonies to the Palestinian occupied areas of the West Bank and the Gaza strip in attempt to create peace.
To be honest, that approach probably would not result in anything good. Sending in colonies could end in bloodshed because we know that Hamas has threatened to attack again. So, the smartest choice would be to advise your client to do what you said in your book; be a man of action, and fortune will come your way. The action that should be taken is to choose a side, which would be Israel, and do something about the situation. Send invading forces into Palestinian territories, and quickly take out the figureheads who are leading the anti-peace rallies. When they see that their leaders have been eradicated, they will be more easily persuaded to submit to defeat, or more willing to make a peace treaty. Once this is done would be the ideal time to integrate the cultures. Send in many Israeli people to Palestinian neighborhoods, so the people can become friendly with one another. And, so religion does not become a problem, it would be best to declare freedom of religion. Slowly, these people will be more accustomed with each other and become peaceful at last.
The method of inflicting necessary injuries quickly is a good approach for this difficult situation. Advise your client to follow the steps that I have provided you, based on the knowledge from your book, and all will be well.
Sincerely,
Gabe O'Friel