As a future officer in the Navy or Marine Corps, it is important to be objective in your decision making. Alexander the Great is thought to be one of the greatest tacticians and generals of his time, but even he had faults. I believe that it is important to study history because analyzing how great leaders like Alexander the Great rose and fell from power is essential to becoming a great leader. History has proven time and time again that some aspects like politics or war will repeat over and over again. By studying history, I can avoid mistakes that great leaders made in the past. When learning about how Alexander the Great rose to power, I learned a few things. I learned from Alexander the Great that a great leader should be mindful of his or her action, a great leader will listen to their subordinates and take into account what they feel, and lastly a good leader must make objective decisions.

  When conquering Persia he wanted to persuade the Persian people to recognize him as their ruler. To aide in that effort, he adopted some of their traditions, one of which is called proskynesis. This is a position where the subordinate gets on their hands and knees and bows to their leader. By adopting this Persian tradition, the Persian people gained trust in Alexander, but that came at a price. Alexander’s generals, did not like the idea of bowing to their leader. The lesson that can be learned from this situation is that an exceptional leader does not try to satisfy everyone’s needs. Alexander the Great was too hung up on how the Persian people viewed him, that he sacrificed his men’s loyalty so that the Persian people would respect him as a leader. Also, he fell in love with a Persian woman. “And then there was the matter of Roxane. His actions were motivated by passion…’ (Plutarch, Alexander 47.7-.8). Falling in love with a member of the enemy team is terrible. His subordinates lost faith in him because he failed to recognize how his actions affected his leadership. Directly following that event, Alexander the Great made a poor decision in order to one up his rival leaders. He marched his army through the Godrosian Desert. He chose this route was that he wanted to do better than Cyrus and the legendary Queen Semiamis. In the end, he is responsible for many of his men’s death due to dehydration.

Alexander also spend most of his time with villagers, and not his men. This gave off the impression that Alexander only cared about the Persian villagers instead of his own men. This is the seed that can be planted in a person’s brain. This seed is called mistrust, and by forcing his own men to change their traditions to accommodate to another person’s is almost insulting. A good leader would listen to his subordinates and adjust or justify for his actions. If a leader does not do that, then he or she will lose the trust of their men.

Alexander the Great is an amazing tactician and general, but he lacked the ability to understand how his actions affected how his subordinates viewed him, and his arrogance are mistakes that I hope to not make in the future as a Naval or Marine Corps officer.

~556 Words

Vincent Potente

The Chinggis Khan and the Mongolian Empire is prime example of how the world can change through the will of a single man. The Mongolian Empire seemed to rise out of nowhere and expanded at such an alarming rate, that its neighbors had no idea how to stop this empire. The Mongolian’s brutal and unprecedented aggression stunned both Asian and European countries worldwide. Even in today’s society, historians look back and comment about the unique warfare and way of life the Mongolians lived. With such a brutal and terror inducing country, there are very few regimes that can even emulate the brutality and sinister treatment the Mongolians did upon their enemies.

The rise of ISIS is a society that is comparable to the Mongolians. ISIS’s asymmetric and non-linear warfare shocked the world with its use of the media to display and convert people to aide in their mission. ISIS emulated the PAX Mongolica in a very similar way. The PAX Mongolica says that as long as you pay your dues, no start any uprising, and recognize the Mongolians as your ruler, you can live in peace. During ISIS’s regime, as long as you are a practicing Muslim, and not a westerner, and recognize and abide by the caliphate of ISIS, you can live as you please. Another way ISIS operates like the Mongols is by using trickery. The Mongolians would put dummies on horses and light additional fires to signal a larger force than what they currently have. ISIS employs this tactic through social media. They recruit people into their type of thinking, and use those people to commit mass atrocities. Some of these atrocities mostly centered on attacking the civilian population. From the Nice attack in 2016 where a ISIS supporter drove a truck and ran over and killed 86 people, to the bombings in the Brussels Airport that killed 32 people. These gives the impression that ISIS is everywhere and has no limit or bounds to their rule. Along with mass atrocities, ISIS has committed a few of their own. Most notable is the worldwide recording of the beheading of a foreign reporter. This video was published on YouTube. This video was made by ISIS to warn against more Western aggression in Iraq and Iran. The man in the video states that only more will come if they continue to occupy Iraq and Iran. This type of deterrence is similar to the Mongolians in which made pyramids with the skulls of the people that they slayed. This type of psychological warfare was aimed to affects the morale of the enemy.

Although ISIS cannot match the brutality and sheer terror inducing acts of horror that the Mongolians have done, ISIS follows the same path of employing psychological acts against their enemy to deter them from entering future conflict with ISIS, pursing a PAX Mongolica type of stability within the countries that ISIS occupies, and committing cruel atrocities.

~488 words

Vincent Potente

Star Wars has proven itself to be a timeless movies series to watch with friends, family, or by yourself. It pits a small Rebellion fighting to rid the world from the grasps of the dark side and the Galactic Empire. Throughout the trilogies, the heroes of the Rebellion manage to thwart the Galactic Empire’s plans of creating a planet killing weapon called the Death Star multiple times. Despite the Tie fighters and storm troopers, the Galactic Empire can draw similarities to empires on Earth both ancient and modern.

              The Roman Empire’s upbringing is actually very similar to how the Empire rose to power. Julius Caesar accomplished a couple things before and during his first few months of power. Julius Caesar gains popularity when he defeats Vercingetorix, a king that united the Gauls. The Gauls were people from West-Central Europe that would cause the rising Roman Empire trouble. Upon defeating Vercingetorix, Julius Caesar then massacre or enslaves the Gauls. This led him to gain power and with the help of Pompey and Crassus, he was able to rule the Roman Empire. When in power, Julius Caesar institutes that the people can carry on with their business, as long as they obey his divine rule. “On these considerations he exhorts and charges them to take up the burden of the state and administer it with his help; but if they shrink through fear [i.e. of other opposing civil war party] he will not burden them, and will administer the state himself” (Caesar, Civil Wars 1.32.7). Although the other two persons had shared their power with Julius Caesar, they let Julius Caesar be the figurehead of the Roman Empire.

              In Star Wars, The Republic was created to fight against the Separatists. It was through Chancellor Palpatine’s decision that the mass production of clone troopers allows the Republic to defeat Count Dooku, a leader of the Separatist. Count Dooku states these last few words to foreshadow the Jedi’s fate, “What if I told you that the Republic was now under the control of a Dark Lord of the Sith?” (Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith). Chancellor Palpatine is revealed to a Sith, and enemy of the Jedi, and uses the clone army to hunt down and slaughter the Jedi. Now, Darth Sidious, allows the people of other planets to live in peace while he commands the new Galactic Empire to do his bidding.  The parallels that can be drawn is that Chancellor Palpatine and Julius Caesar defeated a high ranking leader to allow their forces to win the battle or war. Chancellor Palpatine and Julius Caesar also proceed to exterminate a specific type of person or race. Lastly, both rulers allowed their people to carry on with their normal lives, but would obediently listen when their leader called for them. Now, The Roman Empire did not rise to power using lightsabers or missile launchers like the Republic turned Galactic Empire, but both civilizations did rise to power through brutality and one man in the right place at the right time.

Star Wars can also be related to American government. George Washington, like Chancellor Palpatine and Julius Caesar became the figurehead to American beliefs and hopes. Like the Galactic Empire and the Roman Empire, the American people began to conquer their neighbors and expand their borders. Like the Roman Empire with Spartacus, America had trouble with slave revolts, which lead to the Civil War. Star Wars is a timeless movie with countless parallels to both ancient and modern societies.

• Vincent Potente 586 words

https://books.google.com/books?id=Hns8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=civil+wars+by+caesar+1.32.7&source=bl&ots=srT8PN3jqM&sig=ACfU3U1oe7raDsaCmoiImhOVZA9iWHUq7Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUmZCDqpfhAhULy1kKHWedCQoQ6AEwAHoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=civil%20wars%20by%20caesar%201.32.7&f=false

When looking back on Alexander the Great’s notable achievements and accomplishments one may say that his quick and strategic thinking was the reason he was so successful in his campaign in Asia. However, Alexander the Great would not have been so successful if it wasn’t for his predecessor, Philip the II. Without Philip the II’s strategic victories that included defeating the Greek city states, Alexander may not have been able to conquer Asia. When Philip rose to power he made several technological advances that help to strengthen the war fighting capability of his armies. He instituted the sarissa, a fourteen foot spear, instead of the smaller spears that Spartans carried. This allowed Philip’s forces to engage the enemy at a longer range, while his men also carried smaller shields to defend from enemy attacks. This seemingly unstoppable infantry was complimented by his elite cavalry force called the Hetairoi. Lighting quick cavalry forces can quickly flank enemy forces engaged with his infantry. This can be seen in the Battle of Chaeronea. This battle was a very pinnacle event for the Macedonians as the win here would destroy any army that could compete with Phillip’s.  Philip destroyed the Athenian and Theban armies then persuaded the Greeks to become allies. Philip’s view then turns to Persia, but a sudden death prevents him from advancing to Persia.

By allying with their Greek neighbors, Philip the II eliminated the possibility of an attack on the homefront. When Alexander the Great rises to power, he did not have to worry about the Greeks and instead focus on conquering Persia. Allying with the Greeks also allowed Persia to be the only other active player besides the Macedonians to control the Aegean seas. If Philip the II did not win in the Battle of Chaeronea, the Greeks could have conducted guerilla warfare and attacked the Macedonian ships transiting to Persia. In the end, Philip the II built a firm foundation that allowed Alexander the Great to propel himself and his army into Asia and allowed him to expanded and conquer the known world.

A modern example of Alexander the Great would be the Chinese president Xi Jinping.The rapidly industrializing country of China that America knows today could not have happen without its previous leaders, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and Jiang Zemin. Mao Zedong’s five year plan, focused China’s resources and manpower on becoming independent and a world power. Deng Xiaoping focused more on making China a more export led country and allowed the money gained from exports to make advances in production means. Jiang Zemin focus on economic growth allowed China to increase their GDP 8% every year. These men and their policy changes had allowed China to become one of world’s superpowers today. With its second largest GDP, China’s Xi Jinping has made a robust and rapidly developing military that rises concerns with the United States. The Chinese Navy has quickly grown in size and technological capability in the past ten year. Their growing presence in the South China Sea threatens U.S, ships, which twenty or thirty years ago, China would not be able to stand toe to toe with American forces.Like Philip the II with Macedonia, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and Jiang Zemin paved the way and created a firm foundation that allowed their successors to become strong leaders.

Word Count 555

Vincent Potente

The American government is very different than the Athenian democracy, despite the fact that the Framer’s used the Athenian democracy as a model to shape the American government of today.  There is one significant thing that separates the American government from the Athenian democracy and that is the creation of the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution is a document that essential distributes the power of the government into three different branches. The U.S. Constitution also establishes rules that limit each branch of power. Each branch also has powers to prevent the other two branches from being corrupt or too powerful. The U.S. Constitution also gives power to the people. If the people United States do not agree with the government, then they have an obligation to replace it. For example in 1974, the newly elected president of the United States, Richard Nixon, was caught in the now famous Watergate scandal. The people of the United States petitioned to impeach President Nixon. However, President Nixon was found guilty by the Supreme Court, and left office before the petition for impeachment was successful. “The Court held that neither the doctrine of separation of powers, nor the generalized need for confidentiality of high-level communications, without more, can sustain an absolute, unqualified, presidential privilege“(Oyez). Even the President of the United States has limits to his or her power. The judicial system and the people can ensure that the president does not make himself an absolute monarch due to the Constitution. The Athenian democracy did not have something like this in their government. Anyone who was a citizen was granted the ability to speak in the Assembly. People like Pericles, who were very talented public speakers, had the ability to swing the Assemblymen in favor of what Pericles wanted. This unchecked power allowed Pericles to rise to power. In Thucydides, “Funeral Oration”, it depicts Pericles giving a speech to all the men who died in the past years. “The greatness of our city has caused all things from all parts of the Earth to be imported here, so that we enjoy the products of other nations…” (Thucydides 38). All these things were possible in Pericles’ case, but anyone who excelled at public speaking could essential ascend to the throne. Athens would then be at the mercy of whoever that public speaker is. The U.S. Constitution prevents this by distributing power to three different branches, and adding different checks and balances to ensure no one branch can overthrow the others.  

            The Athenian democracy and the U.S. government are conducted in drastically different in terms of how they are run. The Athenian democracy is run by the people who can speak and make a direct attempt to change laws as long as they are citizens, but the Assembly can be swayed by well versed public speakers like Pericles. The U.S, government has the U.S. Constitution which allows the people to hire representative that speak on behalf of the people, but have a vast array of checks and balances so that it is very hard for one person or party to gain complete control of the government.

~Vincent Potente

519 words

https://www.oyez.org/cases/1973/73-1766

When the average person hears the word tyrant or tyranny, they think that the person in charge of the country is conducting themselves in a way that is oppressive and cruel to their people. This ruler could be a president, chancellor, or even a monarch. This current definition of tyrant and tyranny was not always the case, and has changed dramatically since the beginning of time.

A recent post by the Washington Post on November 1st 2018, talks about how tyrannical the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua are. Especially in Venezuela, President Madura has gone to great lengths to keep his power from opposing leader Juan Guiado. Madura bribes the military by giving them very high paying businesses in return for support. President Madura has also bypassed the country’s Constitution by creating another legislative body and gave the new legislative body the ability to rewrite a whole new Constitution. President Trump in one of his speeches relates to President Madura’s unethical and cruel actions as tyrannical and unethical.

The term tyrant was not always defined by the effect the ruler’s actions have on their people. In ancient times, a tyrant simply meant a person that wanted to overthrow the ruler to gain power, an opposing party. An excerpt from the script, Herodotus on Athenian Tyrants , takes on the perspective of a man named Pisistratus, and his multiple attempts to become ruler in Athens. Pisistratus was known by the Athenians for his achievements, “as a military commander during the campaign against Megara,…”. Pisistratus uses this military standing as leverage to persuade the Athenians to give him a group of guards as he claims that someone is after him. He uses these guards to stage a coup on the Athenian government, but he failed. He attempts to overthrow the government again by marrying the daughter of one of rich and powerful families in Athens. The idea is that both the daughter’s family and Pisistratus can bear children which would elevate the family’s social standing as heirs to the throne, but Pisistratus only wants power for himself and divorces his wife. His final attempt was that he conscripted a whole bunch of mercenaries, and overthrew the governing party by military coup. The script describes Pisistratus as the first tyrant in Athens, leading to believe that a tyrant is just someone fighting for a spot at the throne.

The Washington Post’s use of the word tyrant is a huge difference in how the ancient Athenians use the word. The Washington Post coins the term tyrant when the ruler behaves in a cruel, and oppressive manner. For example, when President Madura disagrees with the Venezuelan Constitution, he creates a new legislative branch and proceeds to create a new Constitution violates the very rights the people of Venezuela the Constitution was to protect.  This definition is a stark contrast to the ancient understanding of the word tyrant, which a revolutionary, someone who wants to overthrow the government and be the new ruler . If the ancient definition were to be used in today’s world, then people like Hillary Clinton, or any other presidential candidate would be considered a tyrant. She would be considered a tyrant because she is trying to take the power of the country. The definition of tyrant as drastically changed throughout time.

– Vincent Potente

Word Count: 549

Link to the article:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/bolton-promises-to-confront-latin-americas-troika-of-tyranny/2018/11/01/df57d3d2-ddf5-11e8-85df-7a6b4d25cfbb_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d540dcc5208d