This Pivot updates the ideas of the famous political philosopher from the Italian Renaissance, Machiavelli, for the 21st century, using case studies from the West and from Kazakhstan to demonstrate the utility of Machiavelli’s ideas for contemporary political life. In truth, Machiavelli’s ideas have never lost their value. Although “Machiavellian” as an adjective tends to describe amoral cynicism in contemporary usage, Machiavelli’s ideas were deeply ethical and oriented towards achieving long-term goals. Contemporary readers may be put off by medieval language and examples, misled into believing Machiavelli speaks to a different age; and yet the author here explores how Machiavellian strategy can be of value- ethical as well as practical-in the 21st century.
