"If an injury has to
be done to a man, it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared"
Niccolo Machiavelli – The Prince
A bloody face. A hand held in protective posture from a wailing-mob. Machine guns flicking, fizzing through the camera’s panorama. Energetic chaos with frenzied ecstatic shouts surrounding one totally frightened and end-of-the-line-recognising “king of kings”. A desperate and foreboding scene. Cut to another scene, the once frightened expression on the captured tyrant’s face now no longer displaying any sign of life, let alone terror. A revenge killing, pure and simple. Revenga.
A scene from an ultra-violent (and cheesy) Van Damme/Schwarzenneger revenge movie? The aftermath of Man City’s destruction of Man U yesterday? Not quite…everyone will now recognise the sequence of controversial events surrounding Ghadaffi’s capture and subsequent death. Yes, it was shocking. Yes, it was wrong on a human level….but..be honest with yourselves and admit that it was the cleanest, simplest and most predictable end to an already convoluted and tired saga. No one had any interest in seeing Ghadaffi go on trial in a protracted mud-slinging match. No one will admit they are happier his end came about as it did, but in secret everyone is. And part of you knows that.
It would be a surprise indeed to find anyone that would argue the killing of Ghadaffi and his sons was not the simplest end to a messy few months. Sighs of relief (especially across the UK and parts of western Europe) were audibly heard behind the feigned looks of disgust and disapproval on the news of their demise. Reverberations were felt across the still bubbling rebellions in others parts of the Middle East – leaders there still clinging on to power, provided a nightmare-glimpse of their futures. If the cameras had not been rolling and mobile phone uploads to YouTube not been such an effective conduit of harrowing information, I very much doubt there would have been such an international uproar. Harsh, but true.
Fear, revenge, crowd-mania, the will-of-the-masses. Pick your poison. Throughout history, revenge killings have proved the most brutal. Re-read the quote above. The Libyan rebels obviously had. No risk of vengeance there. Not unless resurrection is on the cards. Revenge is such a powerfully emotive response to a period of perceived wrongful leadership, blamed for poverty, excessive corruption, brutal treatment of dissidents and even the general sinking of a people’s culture and identity. When finally the people have an opportunity to exact revenge on the very lightning-rod of all this suffering and misery, it should come as no surprise that a desire to witness justice in a courtroom is ignored for a more rapid and (in their wild-eyes, cleaner) jury-to-executioner process. Judgement as served by the people sweeps all before it. Just note the half-hearted shouts of objection and all-too-familiar brushing-under-the-carpet international “response”.
Machiavelli, knew and understood the power of revenge. In his unrelenting piece on leadership (“The Prince”), that far too many across the Middle East (and throughout other brutal dictatorships) have read cover-to-cover, he states that once a decision has been made to eradicate potential competitors to a position of leadership, not only should that individual be eliminated, but his/her immediate family and potential “revenge seekers” also be eliminated. This will explain the equally horrific (on a human level) killing of Ghadaffi’s sons. We can argue about each of their roles in the despotic government ad nausea, but a Libyan people tired of the 42-yr old guard saw the writing on the wall and acted with brutal and conclusive force. In the environment of a new liberated Libya, the laws of “The Prince” hold more sway and gravitas than those the international community would consider as the correct path to peace.
Are other developed nations any less Machiavellian? Saddam was found by US forces. Lucky for him. At least until he was handed over to the Iraqi “officials” who subsequently and extremely swiftly placed him on (a very short) trial and had him hung. Few would doubt that, had he been discovered by those oppressed by his regime for all those years, would he have even seen the inside of a courtroom. The US and others were surely not that sad to see him dealt with so swiftly and with as little collateral damage as possible. Was anything significant done after his hurried hanging? Nope. Again, it is easy not to have to argue over a dead corpse. What is done is done.
From Hitler’s suicide to JFK’s assassin being assassinated - would the US be a different place if Lee Harvey Oswald had ever made it to trial? – the rapid demise of controversy-embroiled characters and potential sand-pits of revelation have served the purposes of someone, somewhere. Even Mubarak’s sudden disappearance and ill-health is better for all. Abrupt removals of provocative characters is littered throughout conflict. It is much easier for the victor to (re)write the history books when a dissenting voice is silenced – permanently. Politics is not a clean and friendly game. There are certain deals that oft must be made with unsavoury characters at suitably symbiotic times. When the landscape changes, so does the value tethered to those agreements. This fate has befallen once all-powerful despots from ancient civilisations to recent Baltic monsters. Out of sight, out of mind.
The public do not enjoy drawn-out affairs. Patience is not a group’s strong-point. The human brain moves on quickly from one event to another, with initial interest and attention turning into apathy and ultimately becoming a distracting element to a species’ otherwise naturally selected instinct to evolve and continue. We move on. That is what pushes humanity towards greater things. The constant desire to look forwards and not be bogged down with mistakes of the past. Reflection on past atrocities is not our strong-point. It is perhaps one of the reasons we forget our mistakes and learn so little from previous events.
Ghadaffi did not have the luxury of NATO ground troops tracking him down. He had the very same people he had ruled with an iron first – one which came crushing down a few too many times for their liking.
Buying Success
Looking quickly around, Abu Dhabi, in arguably their best investment ever, have funnelled so much cash into what was a mid-tier football team (Man City) to become a new leading force in the UK Premiership. Money can indeed buy you success it seems. Can money calm the Eurozone though? Europe is still faltering on the brink, with Sarkozy flipping (that’s what a newborn will do to your nerves) on Dave and asking the UK to “stop interfering” – but how will the UK relish the “we told you so” high-horse position if unable to laugh at the crowd below? Fun while it lasted.
China has seen an unfortunate portrayal of what an over-expanding society (9.1% GDP growth estimated for this year, still!) obsessed with materialism can lead to, leaving a toddler run-over and fatally injured in the middle of a busy road for a full twenty-minutes until one brave soul decided to rush to her aid. Some inner soul-searching being carried out there, quite necessarily. The spiritual land is having a tough time reconciling their new-found material wealth. Argentina has bucked the trend of defying long-running dynasties and re-elected the charismatic and recently widowed (had a lot to do with it) Cristina Fernandez. European leaders look on with envy, wishing they had the power to do with their bondholders as the Argentinians had done earlier this century. Watch-out for an end to the good-times there though. Berlusconi has had to take time-off from his busy schedule of partying to muster enough support and win through a number of confidence-votes – or did he simply throw the bunga-bunga parties for all those voting?
The US is still stuck in a political swamp of indecision. The next election is gathering pace. Usual group of unimpressive near-looney characters. Obama’s star may just continue to shine for another term. Few doubt that the country of innovation and opportunity will remain so for too long – but please start the process in earnest already. Life goes on and on..if your family name is not Ghadaffi that is.
Let’s hope the future leaders of these revolutionary countries don’t find thrown-away copies of “The Prince” in Sirte (or maybe download onto their e-readers), and especially ignore the advice that…
"Whoever desires to found a state and give it laws, must start with assuming that all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it"
Easy tiger…not the best start to an open and understanding society.
Let’s discuss,
Hani
Niccolo Machiavelli – The Prince
A bloody face. A hand held in protective posture from a wailing-mob. Machine guns flicking, fizzing through the camera’s panorama. Energetic chaos with frenzied ecstatic shouts surrounding one totally frightened and end-of-the-line-recognising “king of kings”. A desperate and foreboding scene. Cut to another scene, the once frightened expression on the captured tyrant’s face now no longer displaying any sign of life, let alone terror. A revenge killing, pure and simple. Revenga.
A scene from an ultra-violent (and cheesy) Van Damme/Schwarzenneger revenge movie? The aftermath of Man City’s destruction of Man U yesterday? Not quite…everyone will now recognise the sequence of controversial events surrounding Ghadaffi’s capture and subsequent death. Yes, it was shocking. Yes, it was wrong on a human level….but..be honest with yourselves and admit that it was the cleanest, simplest and most predictable end to an already convoluted and tired saga. No one had any interest in seeing Ghadaffi go on trial in a protracted mud-slinging match. No one will admit they are happier his end came about as it did, but in secret everyone is. And part of you knows that.
It would be a surprise indeed to find anyone that would argue the killing of Ghadaffi and his sons was not the simplest end to a messy few months. Sighs of relief (especially across the UK and parts of western Europe) were audibly heard behind the feigned looks of disgust and disapproval on the news of their demise. Reverberations were felt across the still bubbling rebellions in others parts of the Middle East – leaders there still clinging on to power, provided a nightmare-glimpse of their futures. If the cameras had not been rolling and mobile phone uploads to YouTube not been such an effective conduit of harrowing information, I very much doubt there would have been such an international uproar. Harsh, but true.
Fear, revenge, crowd-mania, the will-of-the-masses. Pick your poison. Throughout history, revenge killings have proved the most brutal. Re-read the quote above. The Libyan rebels obviously had. No risk of vengeance there. Not unless resurrection is on the cards. Revenge is such a powerfully emotive response to a period of perceived wrongful leadership, blamed for poverty, excessive corruption, brutal treatment of dissidents and even the general sinking of a people’s culture and identity. When finally the people have an opportunity to exact revenge on the very lightning-rod of all this suffering and misery, it should come as no surprise that a desire to witness justice in a courtroom is ignored for a more rapid and (in their wild-eyes, cleaner) jury-to-executioner process. Judgement as served by the people sweeps all before it. Just note the half-hearted shouts of objection and all-too-familiar brushing-under-the-carpet international “response”.
Machiavelli, knew and understood the power of revenge. In his unrelenting piece on leadership (“The Prince”), that far too many across the Middle East (and throughout other brutal dictatorships) have read cover-to-cover, he states that once a decision has been made to eradicate potential competitors to a position of leadership, not only should that individual be eliminated, but his/her immediate family and potential “revenge seekers” also be eliminated. This will explain the equally horrific (on a human level) killing of Ghadaffi’s sons. We can argue about each of their roles in the despotic government ad nausea, but a Libyan people tired of the 42-yr old guard saw the writing on the wall and acted with brutal and conclusive force. In the environment of a new liberated Libya, the laws of “The Prince” hold more sway and gravitas than those the international community would consider as the correct path to peace.
Are other developed nations any less Machiavellian? Saddam was found by US forces. Lucky for him. At least until he was handed over to the Iraqi “officials” who subsequently and extremely swiftly placed him on (a very short) trial and had him hung. Few would doubt that, had he been discovered by those oppressed by his regime for all those years, would he have even seen the inside of a courtroom. The US and others were surely not that sad to see him dealt with so swiftly and with as little collateral damage as possible. Was anything significant done after his hurried hanging? Nope. Again, it is easy not to have to argue over a dead corpse. What is done is done.
From Hitler’s suicide to JFK’s assassin being assassinated - would the US be a different place if Lee Harvey Oswald had ever made it to trial? – the rapid demise of controversy-embroiled characters and potential sand-pits of revelation have served the purposes of someone, somewhere. Even Mubarak’s sudden disappearance and ill-health is better for all. Abrupt removals of provocative characters is littered throughout conflict. It is much easier for the victor to (re)write the history books when a dissenting voice is silenced – permanently. Politics is not a clean and friendly game. There are certain deals that oft must be made with unsavoury characters at suitably symbiotic times. When the landscape changes, so does the value tethered to those agreements. This fate has befallen once all-powerful despots from ancient civilisations to recent Baltic monsters. Out of sight, out of mind.
The public do not enjoy drawn-out affairs. Patience is not a group’s strong-point. The human brain moves on quickly from one event to another, with initial interest and attention turning into apathy and ultimately becoming a distracting element to a species’ otherwise naturally selected instinct to evolve and continue. We move on. That is what pushes humanity towards greater things. The constant desire to look forwards and not be bogged down with mistakes of the past. Reflection on past atrocities is not our strong-point. It is perhaps one of the reasons we forget our mistakes and learn so little from previous events.
Ghadaffi did not have the luxury of NATO ground troops tracking him down. He had the very same people he had ruled with an iron first – one which came crushing down a few too many times for their liking.
Buying Success
Looking quickly around, Abu Dhabi, in arguably their best investment ever, have funnelled so much cash into what was a mid-tier football team (Man City) to become a new leading force in the UK Premiership. Money can indeed buy you success it seems. Can money calm the Eurozone though? Europe is still faltering on the brink, with Sarkozy flipping (that’s what a newborn will do to your nerves) on Dave and asking the UK to “stop interfering” – but how will the UK relish the “we told you so” high-horse position if unable to laugh at the crowd below? Fun while it lasted.
China has seen an unfortunate portrayal of what an over-expanding society (9.1% GDP growth estimated for this year, still!) obsessed with materialism can lead to, leaving a toddler run-over and fatally injured in the middle of a busy road for a full twenty-minutes until one brave soul decided to rush to her aid. Some inner soul-searching being carried out there, quite necessarily. The spiritual land is having a tough time reconciling their new-found material wealth. Argentina has bucked the trend of defying long-running dynasties and re-elected the charismatic and recently widowed (had a lot to do with it) Cristina Fernandez. European leaders look on with envy, wishing they had the power to do with their bondholders as the Argentinians had done earlier this century. Watch-out for an end to the good-times there though. Berlusconi has had to take time-off from his busy schedule of partying to muster enough support and win through a number of confidence-votes – or did he simply throw the bunga-bunga parties for all those voting?
The US is still stuck in a political swamp of indecision. The next election is gathering pace. Usual group of unimpressive near-looney characters. Obama’s star may just continue to shine for another term. Few doubt that the country of innovation and opportunity will remain so for too long – but please start the process in earnest already. Life goes on and on..if your family name is not Ghadaffi that is.
Let’s hope the future leaders of these revolutionary countries don’t find thrown-away copies of “The Prince” in Sirte (or maybe download onto their e-readers), and especially ignore the advice that…
"Whoever desires to found a state and give it laws, must start with assuming that all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it"
Easy tiger…not the best start to an open and understanding society.
Let’s discuss,
Hani
yes sir .This is a great peace of the mob phsycology.whn they see read ,it is over for reason and human values. red means vengence ,blood and animal behaviour.
ReplyDeletewell described and quotes rightly chosen.
Mob-rule is not always correct, but we must agree that it would have been difficult to witness any different end to Qadaffi's rule.
ReplyDeleteI am now looking intently forward to the rest of the region and especially Syria's position. Let's have your thoughts on that please.