Machiavelli on International Relations

237 Pages·2014·5.006 MB·English

by  Marco Cesa

also published by C Marco Cesa is Professor of International
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS E Relations, University of Bologna and Johns
S Hopkins University, Paul H. Nitze School
Machiavelli’s Prince
A of Advanced International Studies, SAIS
A New Reading
Europe, Bologna.
Erica Benner
Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Rousseau
The importance of international politics in Niccolò Machiavelli’s thought M
John Plamenatz
cannot be denied. Although the familiar ideas expressed in the Prince and
Edited by Mark Philp
a
the Discourses are obviously relevant, the Art of War, the History of Florence, the
and Zbigniew Pelczynski c
dispatches that he wrote during his diplomatic missions, several minor political h
Four Seminal Thinkers writings, and the private letters also contain a number of additional insights i
a
in International Theory and observations that refine and enrich his views. This anthology gathers
v
Machiavelli, Grotius, Kant, and Mazzini together for the first time all of Machiavelli’s writing on international affairs.
e
Martin Wight l
l
About 60 excerpts are organized around key themes, such as: the idea that i

political action takes place in a context that constrains decisions and affects o
n
outcomes; the central role played by fear in influencing foreign policy; the ways

in which domestic politics and international politics interact; the fundamental I
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functions performed by the armed forces; the similarities and differences in
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the foreign policy of republics and principalities; the ambivalent relationship e
between defence and expansion; the curse of neutrality and the ambiguities of r
n
alliances; and the precariousness of international arrangements and the inherent
a
instability of any settlement. The introductory chapter and accompanying
t
illustrative materials guide the reader through the conceptual world of i
o
Machiavelli and the complex political events of his time.
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a
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Jacket illustration: Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519). Study of warrior on horseback.
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Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe degli Uffizi. © 2013. Photo Scala, l
Florence—courtesy of the Ministero Beni e Att. Culturali. a Machiavelli on
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International Relations
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m a r c o c e s a
  edited by
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1 ISBN 978-0-19-967369-8
2
9 780199 673698
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MACHIAVELLI ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
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Machiavelli on
International Relations
MARCO CESA
1
OUPCORRECTEDPROOF–FINALS,16/1/2014,SPi
1
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OUPCORRECTEDPROOF–FINALS,16/1/2014,SPi
To the memory of Kenneth N. Waltz
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Contents
ExcerptsIncludedintheAnthology xi
NoteonSources xv
ChronologyofMachiavelli’sTimesandLife xvi
Emperors,Kings,andPopesinMachiavelli’sTime xix
Map1:ItalianStates,circa1500 xx
Map2:Central-NorthernItaly xxi
Introduction 1
PartI. AWayofThinkingandSomeBasicAssumptions
1.1 ACompellingLogic 35
1.1.1 Either,Or,SpeechConcerningPisa;Provisionsfor
RetakingPisa 35
1.1.2 WhatDukeValentinoWillDo,IIMissionto
DukeValentino 37
1.1.3 ReasonGuidesAnalysis,LettertoFrancesco
Vettori,29April1513 38
1.2 OnHumanNature 41
1.2.1 IfMenWereAllGood,PrinceXV,XVII,andXVIII 41
1.2.2 SomeMenDesire,whilstOthersFear,DiscoursesI,
37and5 43
1.2.3 NationsPreserveforaLongTimetheSameCharacter,
DiscoursesIII,43 44
1.3 OnTimesandAffairs 46
1.3.1 TheWorldRemainsVeryMuchintheSameCondition,
DiscoursesI,Introduction,39;DiscoursesII,Introduction 46
1.3.2 Times,theConditionsofThings,Wisdom,andFortune,
LettertoGiovanBattistaSoderini,13–21September1506 48
1.3.3 WhatCan—andCannot—BeDoneaboutFortune,
PrinceXXV;DiscoursesII,29 50
PartII. TheInternationalContext:FearandSelf-Help
2.1 SurvivalandSecurity 57
2.1.1 OnlyForceMakesStatesKeeptheirWord,Wordstobe
SpokenontheLawforAppropriatingMoney,afterGiving
aLittleIntroductionandExcuse 57
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viii Contents
2.1.2 SecurityIsMoreImportantthanGlory,LifeofCastruccio
CastracaniofLucca 60
2.1.3 AllMeansAreAcceptableWhentheSurvivalofthe
StateisatStake,DiscoursesIII,41–2 61
2.1.4 TheAntagonismofOpposingForces,LettertoFrancesco
Vettori,20June1513 63
2.2 ‘FearIstheGreatestMaster’ 66
2.2.1 ThePopes,DiscoursesI,12;FlorentineHistoriesII,10 66
2.2.2 France,AnAccountoftheAffairsofFrance 67
2.2.3 Spain,LettertoFrancescoVettori,16April1514 69
2.2.4 Florence,FlorentineHistoriesV,12–13 70
2.2.5 Naples,FlorentineHistoriesVIII,19–22 71
2.2.6 Venice,FlorentineHistoriesI,29 73
2.2.7 Milan,FlorentineHistoriesV,5 74
2.3 GoodLawsandGoodArmies 77
2.3.1 TheFoundationsofAllStates,PrinceXII;DiscoursesIII,31 77
2.3.2 ExternalThreatsandMilitaryOrganizations,ArtofWarII 79
2.3.3 MilitaryForceIsattheServiceofSecurity,ArtofWar,
IntroductionandVII 81
PartIII. DomesticOrders,Disorders,andForeignAffairs
3.1 TheGreatPowersCompared 87
3.1.1 France,AnAccountoftheAffairsofFrance 87
3.1.2 TheEmpire,ReportontheAffairsofGermany 90
3.2 DomesticAffairsandForeignAffairs 93
3.2.1 Location,Growth,Security—andLaws,DiscoursesI,1 93
3.2.2 DomesticDivisions,FormsofGovernment,andExpansion,
DiscoursesI,6 95
3.2.3 DomesticDivisionsandExternalEnemies,Florentine
Histories,Introduction;V,4;II,26;DiscoursesII,25 97
3.3 LeadersandStrategies 102
3.3.1 CosimoRulesoveraDividedCity,FlorentineHistories
VII,5–6 102
3.3.2 DukeValentinoEstablishesaNewState,PrinceVII 103
3.3.3 JuliusIITemporizes,IMissiontotheCourtofRome 107
3.3.4 FerdinandIIRisesinPowerandPrestige,PrinceXXI 108
3.4 RepublicsandPrincipalities 110
3.4.1 ARepublic’sForeignPolicyIsReckless...,DiscoursesI,53 110
3.4.2 ...andSlow,DiscoursesI,34;II,15 111
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Contents ix
3.4.3 BothRepublicsandPrincipalitiesResorttoFraud ...,
DiscoursesII,13 114
3.4.4 ...andEndupSubjugatingThoseWhoInvokeTheir
Help,DiscoursesII,20 115
3.4.5 RepublicsAreSomewhatBetterEquippedtoAdapttothe
Times ...,DiscoursesIII,9 117
3.4.6 ... andAreSomewhatMoreReliableAllies,
DiscoursesI,59 119
3.4.7 Yet,RepublicsAreMorePredisposedtoGrowand
Expand—andAreHarsherMasters,DiscoursesII,2 121
PartIV. ForeignPolicyandInternationalPolitics
4.1 Preferences,Opportunities,andConstraints 127
4.1.1 WhenWillOneAct?LettertoGiovanniRidolfi,
12June1506 127
4.1.2 RevisionistPowersandInternationalStability,Letterto
FrancescoVettori,10August1513 128
4.1.3 GoalsChangeandNecessityOverrulesIntentions,Letterto
FrancescoVettori,10August1513,andLettertoFrancesco
Vettori,26August1513 130
4.1.4 OnMolestingandBeingMolested,DiscoursesII,19 132
4.2 DealingwithThreats 134
4.2.1 BalancingAgainstaGreatPowerIsNotEasyAtAll,
DiscoursesI,33;III,11 134
4.2.2 HavingAchievedSecurity,StatesAimatMore,Florentine
HistoriesV,9–10;V,17–22 136
4.2.3 DecidingtoResist,FlorentineHistoriesV,11 140
4.3 EngaginginExpansion 143
4.3.1 TheRomanExample,DiscoursesII,1 143
4.3.2 AWarofAggression,FlorentineHistoriesIV,18–20 145
4.3.3 TakingaCitybyForceMayBeCounterproductive,
FlorentineHistoriesVII,30 148
4.3.4 LouisXII’sMistakes,PrinceIII 150
4.4 NeutralityandAlliances 154
4.4.1 WhyNeutralityIstoBeAvoided,PrinceXXI 154
4.4.2 AlliancesandtheRiseofRome,DiscoursesII,4 156
4.4.3 NoWayOut,IMissiontoFrance 158
4.4.4 TheRisksofAsymmetricalAlliances,IIMissiontoDuke
Valentino 162
4.4.5 AlliedMisgivings,FlorentineHistoriesIV,3–5,13,15 165