When in the acquisition of foreign territories with dissimilar customs and languages a prince must have both fortune and ability. For in the acquisition of an appendage state of various customs and languages dissimilar from yours, “many difficulties arise.” The best strategy in this situation is for the prince to physically reside in the new territory, so that he can quickly put down rebellions and can instill loyalty and fear into his subjects. In addition, a foreign prince would be less inclined to attack a territory when its prince is present. The next best alternative is to establish settlements in the new appendage state. Settlements are cheap and leave the inhabitants of the territory relatively undisturbed, while still asserting a prince’s presence in the territory. However, the worst alternative is to occupy the new territory with troops, which are expensive and causes everybody to suffer.
-From the wikipedia article on "The Prince", written by Niccolo Machiavelli
Sounds a little like America and Iraq.
No comments:
Post a Comment