Prince was dedicated to the Medici family of Florence. The work s purpose and its author s

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1 Zujaja Tauqeer Il Principe and The Wire Written at the height of political disorder in Renaissance Italy, Niccolò Machiavelli s The Prince was dedicated to the Medici family of Florence. The work s purpose and its author s motives have been the subject of much debate throughout the ages, but the advice given within the relatively short manual for new rulers has made its author infamous for his depraved political philosophy. Similarly attuned to controversy, The Wire, an HBO drama series, studies the dynamics of an urban setting where politicians, drug dealers, law enforcement, and average citizens tread a world that is more grey than black or white, and where a Machiavellian style of leadership, with all its overtones of immorality, deception, and manipulation, seems to be the only way to ensure a sustained hold on power. The drug kingpins Avon Barksdale and Marlo Stanfield, in the show s exploration of the illegal drug trade, vindicate Machiavelli s practical stratagems to the titular prince on armies, reputation, and Fortune; his theoretical assessment that inspiring fear is better than inspiring love is intertwined throughout the show s plot. Machiavelli explored the different types of rulers in the first few chapters of The Prince. He discussed hereditary princes and new princes, those that acquire their position through good luck or through nefarious actions, those that command the support of the elites as opposed to those that command the support of the people, etc. The most important distinction according to Machiavelli was when categorizing rulers: One should ask if a ruler has enough resources to be able, if necessary, to look after himself, or whether he will always be dependent on having alliances with other rulers (p. 34). The formidable Barksdale organization, decimated by the incarceration of its leader, Avon Barksdale, was being led by Avon s right-hand man Stringer Bell midway through season two and their business was vulnerable due to the weak quality of their drug supply. It was in these dire straits that Proposition Joe Stewart approached Stringer

2 Bell and offered Stringer better quality drugs in return for territory in West Baltimore. Bell wanted to capitulate, but took the offer to Avon who resolutely responded, It's not even a thought, man. No ( Backwash ). Avon even in jail was loath to rely on others and in this respect was mirrored by the young star Marlo Stanfield, who was involved in a turf war with the Barksdale organization. Bell sought to involve Marlo in the New Day Co-op, which Bell and Prop Joe led in order to settle issues peacefully and ensure access to high quality heroin, to eliminate competition with Marlo over street corners. Marlo s response was to order his own right-hand man to Tell our people to tool up, declaring a determination to continue his quest for sole dominance over West Baltimore rather than settle for a shared peace ( Stringer Bell Makes Marlo an Offer ). A major player in the drug trade and leading member of the group of self-declared drug kingpins of the region, Prop Joe was the criminal equivalent of Machiavelli s political elites in this urban setting. According to The Prince, He who comes to power with the help of the elite has more difficulty in holding on to power than he who comes to power with the help of the populace (p. 31). Bell, in carrying out Avon s princely duties while the latter was in jail, put the organization in a weak position by relying on a fellow elite. As he soon learned upon joining the Co-op, one who comes to power with the help of the elites is surrounded by many who think of themselves as his equals, and whom he consequently cannot order about or manipulate as he might wish (Machiavelli, p. 31-2). This stands in stark contrast to Marlo s campaign to win over the people by giving cash handouts to local children. Monk, an associate, told Marlo afterwards, Your name gonna ring out man, and as successive episodes revealed, some of these very children would later choose to work under Marlo ( Marlo Chris Monk hand out cash to children ). Marlo was also cognizant of the fact that those that acquire power due to

3 the help of influential friends are virtually set up to fail. They have no problems on the road to power, because they leap over all the obstacles; but dangers crowd around them once they are in power (p. 21). Had Marlo become dependent on the Co-op supply, he would have had to declare a cease-fire with rival gangs, abstain from acquiring further territory or strengthening his muscle at the expense of the Barksdale crew, and would have been unable to obtain a better offer from Prop Joe, which he later did and because of which he eventually assumed control over the Co-op and Baltimore s heroin trade. Fortunate for him, he avoided such a political mishap. Machiavelli concludes his analysis of the various types of leaders by claiming, I would maintain those rulers can look after themselves who have sufficient reserves, whether of troops or of money, to be able to put together a sound army and face battle against any opponent (p. 34). Naturally, if Avon and Marlo were, by initial comparisons, truly Machiavellian, their emphasis on the essence of self-dependency a standing army would be evident. Such is the case when Avon was finally released from prison and was alarmed at Marlo s encroachment on what was formerly Barksdale territory. Avon chose to against Stringer s advice begin a ground war with Marlo. When he ascertained the state of the organization, he was forced to ask, So what you tellin me? We weak? and when Slim Charles, his chief enforcer, recounted the loss of manpower, Avon s response was as follows. You go out, you get Cuddy and the best of the rest and put a hurtin on Marlo. I want my corners! ( Avon wants his corners ). In the same vein, a scene involving Marlo showed him questioning a runner, who complained that his numbers were down because of intrusion by some of Barksdale s men. The militarism that is characteristic of Machiavelli s philosophy is displayed in Marlo s way of doing business. When I ran the shop, and my numbers dropped, I damn sure did something about it I just want em moved. Take the young uns with you, give em a workout ( Marlo questions Fruit ). Thus,

4 Marlo was able to take Barksdale s corners and keep them by maintaining a standing army of enforcers that could capitalize immediately on any favorable contingency. Since adaptability to changing political fortunes was a central quality that determined how successfully a ruler could maintain power, the Machiavellian Prince had to know when to adopt different characteristics as the situation demanded, for if one knew how to change one s character as times and circumstances change, one s luck would never change (p. 76). Therefore, the theorist noted, A ruler, then, needs to know how to make good use of beastly qualities you must be a fox when it comes to suspecting a trap, and a lion when it comes to making the wolves turn tail (Machiavelli, p. 54). To understand the import of this talent to the success of a ruler, it is useful to discuss the dynamic at the end of season three between the dueling kings in West Baltimore. One stark example is Marlo s relationship with Proposition Joe. After Prop Joe managed to convince Omar, a stick-up man who made his living by robbing drug dealers, to dupe Marlo into joining the New Day Co-op, thereby securing Marlo s support and resources for the Co-op, Prop Joe betrayed Marlo by giving Omar part of Marlo s cut of an incoming heroin shipment in return for Omar s discretion ( A New Day ). This plan was undermined from the beginning as Omar audaciously stole the entire shipment. Marlo suspected inside involvement in the theft and began to act the part of the fox, asking Prop Joe exactly who was responsible for securing the shipment, without threatening him. Prop Joe, trying to dispel Marlo s alarm, responded, My connect had his people there when the shit went down. If that s what you need to make you believe, you can hear it straight from him, thereby revealing his heroin supplier ( Prop Joe introduces Marlo to Vondas ). Marlo thereafter went directly to the suppliers the Greeks and without revealing his ambitions to double-cross Joe, humored the middleman Spiros by saying, I m not here to badmouth Prop Joe, but people

5 depend on me. You know, last year it was a robbery What if this happens again All I m asking for is an insurance policy ( Marlo meets with Vondas ). After securing a direct line to the Greeks, Marlo capitalized on the next opportunity to get rid of Prop Joe, who was in hiding, using Joe s nephew Cheese. Marlo found out that Cheese was involved in a feud with a fellow Co-op member, and had this rival removed in exchange for information about Joe s whereabouts ( Transitions ). After having Joe shot, Marlo assumed sole control of the heroin supply. After becoming the leader of the Co-op, Marlo wasted no time in resuming the role of the lion. Y all know the Co-op took some hits, he began at the first meeting afterwards, especially Joe I know what you thinkin, so I ma put it out there. I m responsible and in light of that fact, I m gonna take it upon myself to conduct this meeting ( Marlo dismantles the Co-op ). It is thus that Marlo, through a mix of human ambition and animalistic instincts, deposed Avon, Stringer Bell and Prop Joe and assumed supreme control over the illegal drug trade and supply in East and West Baltimore. Avon lacked this skill, and ended up in jail at the end of season three, because he was the epitome of a lion, for the lion does not know how to avoid traps those who simply act like a lion all the time do not understand their business (Machiavelli, p. 54). Avon was unfit for arrangements that relied on cunning and discretion, admitting, I ain t no suit-wearing businessman You know I m just a gangster I suppose ( Just a gangsta I suppose ). The most important obstacle to the Prince s power is not how he came to power, his army, or his character, but the most fickle of all factors Fortuna. I compare her to one of those torrential rivers that, when they get angry, break their banks, knock down trees and buildings, strip the soil from one place and deposit it somewhere else, Machiavelli wrote (p. 74). Such a capricious entity required an equally capricious foe, and so Machiavelli reasoned, I also think a

6 ruler will flourish if he adjusts his policies as the character of the times change (p. 75). While Avon Barksdale was no longer the king of West Baltimore by the end of season three, his supremacy in season one and prior to that is explained by the discretion he used to exercise in protecting himself against the destructive advances of Fortuna. Avon always kept a lawyer on retainer, Maurice Levy, because he was cognizant of the fact that fortune demonstrates her power where precautions have not been taken to resist her (Machiavelli, p. 75). He also realized that it is better to be headstrong than cautious, for fortune is a lady she more often submits to those who act boldly than to those who proceed in a calculating fashion (Machiavelli, p. 76-7). Barksdale s boldness was put on display when he had his men plant laced drugs in the car of CO Tilghman, a drug dealing prison officer. When the tainted drugs caused deaths and a public relations crisis for the city government, Avon came forward as an informant and had his 7-year prison term reduced to one-year by Levy s bargaining skills. Capitalizing on the city s public relations concerns, Levy clinched a win against Fortuna for Avon, making the offer irresistible to the prosecutors. After all, until someone identifies the source of the tainted heroin, you re gonna have another five overdoses tomorrow ( Stringer and Levy ). Machiavellian analysis of the relationship between princely prestige and fear and love is mirrored resolutely in the show by the downfall and demise of several characters. Machiavelli concluded, As far as being feared and loved are concerned, since men decide for themselves whom they love, and rulers decide whom they fear, a wise ruler should rely on the emotion he can control, not on the one he cannot (p. 53). Avon managed to flourish in the treacherous urban landscape of Baltimore as long as he wielded fear as the ultimate foundation for his supremacy. He met his downfall because of the brotherly love that existed between him and Stringer Bell, which undoubtedly provoked Bell into taking extraordinary license with the business in Avon s

7 absence and pursuing policies contrary to Avon s wishes. Love in The Wire repeatedly turned out to be an emotion that was exploited, and the betrayals it made possible turned out to be fatal for many characters. Avon and Prop Joe tempted the love their close friends and family had for them by trusting them with information essential to the formers survival in direct contravention to the ambitions of the latter. Regarding fear, Machiavelli was justified in his logic, e.g. when Omar ingeniously blackmailed Prop Joe into betraying Marlo. When his boyfriend asked, You trust him? Omar replied, I trust his fear ( Omar pays a visit ). Omar relied on fear to reign in the actions of those he wishes to subdue because he knew they would not act contrary to their own interests. The motives that drove Stringer and Cheese to betray Avon and Prop Joe support Machiavelli s predictions that love bestowed by a leader on his subordinate can be reciprocated or not depending wholly on the wishes of the latter, while fear proceeds involuntarily from the weaker party and can be manipulated due to the dependability of man s aversion to personal loss. The strength of the advice presented in the pages of The Prince stems from a keen insight Machiavelli possessed on human psychology. Ultimately, Machiavelli formulated his views on many aspects of political maneuvering, such as the ones illustrated on the show, in light of the maxim that whenever possible, Men are wicked and will not keep faith with you (p. 54). Furthermore, In the behavior of all men, and particularly of rulers people judge by the outcome (Machiavelli, p. 55). The show vindicates this crucial aspect of Machiavelli s philosophy by attributing the success of Avon and Marlo to their development of self-reliance, a standing army, and a mutable personality, and their failures to the inability to conform to the same concepts. Most significantly, The Wire faithfully adheres to Machiavelli s discussion of whether it is more beneficial for a leader to inspire fear or love. His pragmatic views on leadership innervate the characterizations and experiences of the show s criminal princes.

8 Works Cited Avon wants his corners. 28 June, Youtube. Web. 13 March, HBO. A New Day. Dec, HBO: The Wire. 13 March, < HBO. Transitions. Dec, HBO: The Wire. 13 March, < Just a gangsta I suppose. 24 July, Youtube. Web. 13 March, Machiavelli, Niccolo. Machiavelli: Selected Political Writings. Trans. David Wootton. Indianapolis: Hackett, Marlo dismantles the Co-op. 29 June, Youtube. Web. 13 March, Marlo meets with Vondas. 4 May, Youtube. Web. 13 March, Marlo questions Fruit. 10 March, Youtube. Web. 13 March, Omar pays a visit to Prop Joe s shop. 15 March, Youtube. Web. 13 March, Prop Joe introduces Marlo to Vondas. 20 May, Youtube. Web. 13 March, Stringer and Levy handle Avon s problem with CO Tilghman. 5 May, Youtube. Web. 13 March, Stringer Bell Makes Marlo an Offer. 18 May, Youtube. Web. 13 March, 2010.