The Art of War and the United States Naval Academy

War is a constantly changing force. From sticks and stones, to bows and arrows, to bombs and missiles, man has continually pushed the limits of technology and innovation in order to devise the most efficient and deadly battle machine possible. As the tools of war advance, what of its philosophy? Its inherent rules and foundations? Since man has waged war, nothing has changed in these regards. What Sun Tzu speaks of regarding war in his work The Art of War still rings true in our world, and is still taught to the warriors of today; especially in a place such as the Naval Academy.

Sun Tzu’s work is filled with messages of how to win in battle and dominate your enemies; but this is not his sole focus. He speaks of leadership and using adversaries own strengths and weaknesses against them: “the soldier’s spirit is keenest in the morning; by noon it has dulled…The skillful warrior avoids the keen spirit, attacks the dull.”[1] He discusses the definition of war, splitting it into “Five Fundamentals… The Way, Heaven, Earth, Command, [and] Discipline,” and even states that “The Skillful Strategist defeats the enemy without doing battle.”[2] In all, Sun Tzu’s work is a doctrine of how to run, maintain, and efficiently utilize a military force to achieve a means with as little loss and little effort as possible. He believed that the smarter and more capable the leader, as long as they know his ideals, will be victorious with the least effort possible. He exemplifies the teaching of “the easiest way to achieve a specific goal,” while still retaining a solid and respectable stance among both those who you are leading and those who lead you.[3]

Since coming to the Naval Academy, I have seen that Sun Tzu’s teachings are inherent aspects of military learning. Excluding the topics of tactics and direct military strategy, which I have yet to truly experience or see put fully into effect, particulars such as the Five Fundamentals are the foundation of true military doctrine; especially for us here, since we will be the leaders that must uphold and represent these traits. These are what I see as the most effective teachings of Sun Tzu, as they for the base that leadership and respect are built off of. The Way is respect gained from those you lead, who will die following you onto any battlefield. Heaven is the changing tide that we must all learn to accept as part of our lives. Earth is the constant changing if the battlefield itself, pitting us either against powerful or nonexistent forces. Command and Discipline, the final two, are the most poignant. They embody what the United States military stands for, and what we are taught here: “wisdom, integrity, compassion, courage, severity… organization, chain of command, [and] control of expenditure.”[4] We are taught to live with integrity, honor, courage, and commitment here at the Academy. Seeing how much of an emphasis Sun Tzu put on these aspects is heartening; we are living by a code tried and tested for hundreds of years.

Sun Tzu was a master of military knowledge, but also knew the makings of a phenomenal leader. His teachings are the basis of service, and it is apparent that the Naval Academy and beyond has built its culture around Sun Tzu’s ideals. It is exhilarating to be a part of such an ancient and time-honored tradition, and to be taught from the handbook of one of the greatest military leaders of all time.

Cyrus Malek-Madani

Word Count: 595

[1] Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Chapter 7.

[2] Ibid, Chapter 1.

[3] Clear, James, and James Clear, “Applying Lessons from Sun Tzu and The Art of War to Everyday Life,” Lifehacker. October 10, 2016, Accessed March 07, 2019, https://lifehacker.com/applying-lessons-from-sun-tzu-and-the-art-of-war-to-eve-1787621192.

[4] Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Chapter 1.

The Art of War is Deception

Sun Tzu’s Art of War is one of the most important works on warfare every published. While warfare has evolved immensely since the Art of War was written, the principles that Sun Tzu preached remain relevant today. The overarching principle is that the only way to win in combat is to be more intelligent that your enemy, your mind is the most powerful weapon. The Naval Academy is developing the foundations we need to succeed in war by educating us and teaching us to engage every obstacle with our heads first. It is difficult to directly compare Sun Tzu’s tactics to the techniques we are taught at the Naval Academy because we have not been instructed on how to win at war, yet.

At the Naval Academy we a drilled relentlessly with a barrage of difficult classes whose material will not be thought of after graduation. I have not met a single Marine graduate who intentionally uses calculus or cyber security in the military. While my friends and I struggle, it is for a purpose. We are being forced to develop our intellect and our ability to solve problems. Sun Tzu said “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”(Tzu, Sun Art of War). Sun Tzu wrote this because intelligence wins wars and while the Naval Academy has not taught us yet how to fight, we are being given the foundations that Sun Tzu deems necessary.

According to Sun Tzu, deception is the supreme art of war, “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak”(Tzu, Sun Art of War). This means that you will have an advantage over enemy if they do not know your ability nor your resolve. At the Naval Academy it is instilled on us that deception is considered lying, and therefore it will not be condoned. In fact we are expected to have the Honor Concept memorized, which explicitly says we will not lie. We are taught to conduct ourselves as future leaders and deception is not a founding principle for that. It is however necessary in competition. Bose State used deception in the trick play that won them the Fiesta Bowl over Oklahoma when the game was on the line.

Overall, I believe it is not feasible to make a legitimate comparison between Sun Tzu’s tactics for war and what we are taught at the Naval Academy. We are not being taught how to fight. We are being given the tools we need to hopefully succeed in war, but we are not taught outright techniques until we commission. Both the Naval Academy and Sun Tzu put an emphasis on intelligence which is the foundation for success in war. The Naval Academy draws a line when it comes to deception and Sun Tzu does not. Therefore, I believe that Sun Tzu’s tactics are are effective when it comes to winning, in war as well as competition.

Word Count: 507

Sun Tzu and the Naval Academy

When reading Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, several similarities become apparent between his teachings, and what the Naval Academy strives to teach midshipmen. Within the first several stanzas it is easy to see that Sun Tzu values discipline as one of the most crucial aspects of a military leaders. While the Naval Academy does not focus explicitly on this trait, it can be seen very often in the teaching and way of life at the Academy.

In chapter one of The Art of War, Sun Tzu describes his five fundamentals with discipline being listed as the last of the five. According to Sun Tzu, discipline is “Organization/Chain of Command/Control of expenditure” (Art of War 4). Discipline is taught as one of the core principles at the Naval Academy and the importance of discipline is constantly emphasized. This begins over Plebe Summer when plebes are forced to recite several rates discussing discipline and its importance. Discipline is further reinforced at the Academy by the importance of organization. Organization is one of the most underappreciated skills developed at the academy. With the level of work and time management necessary to succeed, organized must be learned, and those who do not develop good organizational habits are bound to fall behind.

The next aspect that Sun Tzu lists as being a part of discipline is Chain of Command. Undoubtedly, proper utilization of the Chain of Command is one of the most emphasized teachings from the Naval Academy. Before even arriving at the academy, students are expected to know a portion of the chain of command from the president down to the Commandant of Midshipmen. After arriving, the chain of command grows and now includes midshipmen in billets appointed over the plebe class. Every semester these billet holders change creating a change in the chain of command. Any official paperwork must be sent through the chain of command, only moving one person at a time, so it is crucial for all midshipmen to know the members of their chain of chain very well.

The final aspect of discipline discussed by Sun Tzu is control of expenditure which is something taught very well at the Naval Academy. Control of expenditure simply means knowing how to be smart with money. At the Naval Academy this is accomplished by making nearly no income during the first year at the school. With only 100 dollars of income every month it can be exceedingly difficult to manage a budget properly. After the first year, students begin making a small amount more, but controlling expenditures remains a valuable skill that is taught every year until graduation.

-Brett Eckert

Word Count: 447

Alexander… the Great?

March 3, 2019 | Blog 3

By 326 BCE, a thirty-year-old man had conquered the largest empire that the world had ever seen. Spanning almost 3,000 miles, this empire stretched from Greece to northwestern India.

Who was he?

His name was Alexander III of Macedon. His father, Philip II, had already taken Greece and begun the invasion of Asia. Alexander, a brilliant military commander, did benefit from Phillip II’s initiative, but Alexander himself was more responsible for his success.

By 336 BCE, the Philip II, the king of Macedon, fulfilled his first goal by securing the majority of Greece under Macedonian sovereignty.

According to the Greek historian Xenophon, “Philip found the Macedonians wandering about without resources […] and made them a match in war for the neighboring barbarians” (Xenophon Anabasis, 7.9).

As the founder of the League of Corinth (337 BCE), Philip II organized an army of 10,000 to free Greeks living under Persian rule. Philip’s dreams of conquering Persia were cut short by his assassination, and Alexander ascended to take his father’s place.

Alexander fulfilled his father’s second goal and accomplished much more: in 13 short years he amassed an enormous empire on foot and spread Greek culture around the world.

There is no accident Alexander is known as the “Great”: it was due to his incomparable success as a military commander. Despite typically being outnumbered, he never lost a single battle.

While Philip created the phalanx tactic, Alexander perfected it. Through rigorous training, the Macedonian phalanx developed in conjunction with cavalry to be deployed at such speed and maneuverability to have a significant effect on larger forces.

Furthermore, Philip had no reason to worry about disloyalty in his army that was made of Macedonians. His military skill and desire for expansion fueled a similar-minded army for success. Philip did not have many enemies. Conversely, Alexander commanded a diverse army of various languages and weapons. To overcome potential disunity, he personally fought in every battle.

Finally, Alexander successfully adapted his forces to his opponents’ style. For example, he faced opponents in Central Asia and India with unfamiliar fighting techniques. Some notable adaptations were shown in Bactria and Sogdiana where Alexander used projectile fire to counter flanking movements.

All of these attributes allowed Alexander to be quite successful. As we study Alexander, a man who lived more than 2,500 years ago, we notice similar patterns of succession in terms of effective regimes due to solid foundations laid by predecessors.

Immediately, we can point to something close in place and time: Truman’s Marshall Plan and America’s resulting ascendence as a global superpower.

The United States in the earlier 1940s witnessed the destruction of Europe, and with knowledge that the Soviet Union had no intention to help, Truman signed the Marshall Plan in 1948, granting $5 billion in aid to 16 European nations.

The U.S. was able to help Europe at such significant measures because of President Franklin Roosevelt’s successful presidency in terms of economic growth. Similar to Alexander’s military success, Truman’s Marshall Plan was built at least partially on the exceptional economic circumstances that FDR cultivated.

However, like Alexander, Truman’s success in bringing America from an isolationist nation to the leader of the free world was his own. Truman, much like Alexander, inherited favorable circumstances, but it was not the mere existence of these favorable circumstances that created Truman’s, or Alexander’s, world-changing success.

— Cameron Guan

Word Count: 549

Sources:

Anabasis by Xenophon (c. 370 BCE)

Dreamers and Metics

Many of the same themes and problems often trouble societies throughout the world as the cycle of time goes on. Much like the Athenians, American democracy has been facing an issue of citizenship. In our mock Assembly, the class’s most heated topic was the topic of metics and their citizenship status. For the topic, many points were brought up both in support, and against the granting of citizenship. Socratics and Oligarchs were concerned about diverting power from “true Athenians” and granting it to the numerous metics and slaves. These are the people groups who made up the predominant population numbers, despite the fact that they did not have citizenship. The debates were heated from both sides, as passions ran high. It is almost assured that the same was true for the real Assembly. America is becoming divided on the topic of immigration and citizenship as well. In recent years, the hot topic issues and one of the major deciding issues of party lines is that of illegal immigration. The fight over DACA has been causing heated debates on the floors of Congress. Many believe that illegal and undocumented aliens, no matter their age, do not have a place in the nation. This is because they did not go through the legal avenues appropriate to become a citizen. The flip side of the argument is that the children who have been brought in do not have a life outside of the nation, and deporting them would ruin their lives. I am of the camp, that the position that your parents put the child in is still illegal, and therefore they would take up immigration numbers slotted for individuals who have worked hard to come into the nation via a legal avenue. The United States provides the largest numbers of visas and citizenship programs out of any other nation in the world, so to say that the nation is anti-immigration would be naive and ignorant. A large number of people are able to go throughout the legal process to gain citizenship. With the debate given in class, I could see the arguments being made on both side, just like I can with the current argument our nation faces. The difference is that the current issue is not for citizenship of individuals who were born, raised, and work within a given territory, but rather a people group that is knowingly committing a crime to transport their family into a new location. Personally, I think it is terrible to see the conditions in which people live in risking dangerous cartels, human trafficking, and starvation. In the same breath, I think it is extremely irresponsible to put your children through that, and the risks that are involved, all to commit a crime. I was a proponent of the citizenship granted to metics because of their taxation, and residency within the Athenian Empire. The issues are similar in some aspects, but I believe that their central issues are different.

Austin LaRue:477

Immigration Yesterday and Today

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program implemented during the Obama era and the debate surrounding it bears an eerie resemblance to the debates in Athens surrounding metics following the Peloponnesian Wars. Similar to DACA “Dreamers”, metics functioned in the society in which they lived, though they were not necessarily citizens. Many metics were well respected and educated, gaining the respect of citizens; others detracted from the positive perception of metics, some being loan sharks or even criminal. Facing a similar situation today in America, we must make a very similar decision regarding the non-citizens living within our borders.

The similarities between Athens’ and the United States of America’s circumstances regarding non-citizens inside the borders is almost exact. Both states held apprehensions about allowing foreigners into their borders without correct qualifications. Both are willing, to different extents, to make exceptions to this rule or even grant citizenship to their aliens. Both have parties in opposition and promotion of granting leniency to the foreigners.

Regarding the electorate debate in class, the debate largely did not persuade or dissuade my views regarding dreamers from their current state. In fact, even though my character was forced to take a hard stance against granting metics citizenship (due to his enormous debt), I personally agreed with the moderate democrats in their policy of granting citizenship on a case-by-case basis. I agree with this policy (in the general sense) to the point where I believe it is the best course of action for our country to take regarding DACA “Dreamers” or any immigrant wishing to become a citizen in this country.

As of late, President Donald Trump is pushing for a border wall to prevent the illicit/criminal activities taking place on and across our southern border. Though he recently circumvented Congress in favor of declaring a national emergency, during previous negotiations he offered a “pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million young immigrants living in the country illegally, in exchange for new restrictions on legal immigration and $25 billion in border security.”¹ Relative to hardliners today, this seems a relatively acceptable compromise, similar to the way in which many, if not most, parties were relatively open to the moderate democrats’ proposition during the electorate debate.

Plato in his Laws proposes:

“Any one who likes may come and be a metic on certain conditions;…he must practise an art, and not abide more than twenty years from the time at which he has registered himself;…when the twenty years have expired, he shall take his property with him and depart.”²

This proposal, while radical today, was not reviled during its time. This policy does not provide a pathway to citizenship for any foreigner, something modern values of human equality cannot tolerate. However, working visa policies today do bear great resemblance with Plato’s recommendation. In relation to DACA “Dreamers”, Plato’s proposal is too extreme; however, working visas are a solution that can perhaps sate some of the desires of both sides.

Athens and The United States of America, as well as other countries around the globe, past and present, have grappled with the controversies regarding foreign aliens and non-citizens, inside and outside their borders. The similarities never end: human nature simply mirrors itself over and over again. The electorate debate in class allowed for arguments taking place today to be replayed in a past era; at the same time, the activity forced everyone into the shoes of someone else, perhaps someone whose notions were disagreeable, and necessitated the argument for a side they did not choose. Even though the platform of this debate lent itself greatly to the possibility of a change of mind regarding today’s issues, my mind was not changed; however, it is now more open.

-Gregory Mathias

Word count: 544

¹Miller, Zeke, et al. “Trump Plan Offers Citizenship Path to 1.8 Million Immigrants.” AP News, Associated Press, 26 Jan. 2018, http://www.apnews.com/e4536bf8932e43ea89203a16d904c561.

²Plato. Laws, Book VIII. 348 BC.

Dreamers- The Modern Day Metics

Immigrants covet citizenship whilst native citizens often forget what they have. Needless to say, citizenship remains one of the most valuable things a person can possess, whether they know it or not. The metics of ancient Athens share similarities with the Dreamers of today because both parties contribute to society, but lack the citizenship required to reap the benefits from the country like the ability to vote, citizenship for your children, and the ability to hold a government position.

Metics served as an integral part of Athens. They breathed, ate, slept, worked, lived, and died there. Many of them, such as Lysias, aided in the war against Sparta and reinstating democracy after the fall of the Athenian empire. They dedicated their lives to helping a nation that did not even recognize them as citizens. Lysias said in his writing that “What I say is that only those have the right to sit in Council on our concerns who, besides holding the citizenship, have their hearts set upon it. For to them it makes a great difference whether this city is prosperous or unsuccessful, because they consider themselves obliged to bear their share in her calamities as they also share in her advantages. But those who, though citizens by birth, adopt the view that any country in which they have their business is their fatherland, are evidently men who would even abandon the public interest of their city to seek their private gain, because they regard their fortune, not the city, as their fatherland.” (Lysias 31.5-7). He argued that some of the metics acted more like Athenian citizens, especially during the reign of the Thirty, than some of the actual citizens did. Majority of metics were also of some Athenian descent. They either had some Athenian parent or grandparents or higher.

People not supporting metic citizenship would argue that the metics owed no loyalty to Athens. Instead, they claimed a different nation as their fatherland. To them, this meant that at the first chance, the metics would abandon Athens. Lysias proved this concept wrong though when he donated money and weapons to aid Thrasybulus. In the end, metics never received citizenship for their service, even though they often contributed enough to.

In a similar manner, the Dreamers live in the U.S. with the hope that they will have better lives here. They live in the U.S. for most of their lives, being brought here by their parents, oftentimes without citizenship. Yet everything they do goes towards benefiting the U.S.. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals causes the immigrants to become a form of metics. DACA gives immigrants protection against deportation and allows them to work, but it does not serve as a route to citizenship. If these Dreamers stay in the country and work here their entire lives, than there’s no reason why they should not be given citizenship.

Opposition to DACA argues that these immigrants- whether legal or illegal- do not contribute anything to society. They take up good jobs that should belong to hardworking citizens. However, some Dreamers work to earn their share in the American Dream. One Dreamer, Jin Park states that “According to a 2017 study, 91 percent of Dreamers are employed and will contribute $460.3 billion to the gross domestic product over the next decade. Over 65 percent of us are pursuing a degree in higher education.” (Park). Park received the Rhodes Scholarship, the first Dreamer to ever do so. Because of his status as a Dreamer, when he left to study at Oxford, he had no idea if he’d ever be able to return.

In conclusion, metics and Dreamers share several similarities. They contribute as much to society as they can with their limited abilities. In both time periods, they prove that they should be given the chance at earning citizenship. Our debate on the Electorate revealed that in hindsight, metics should have been given the opportunity to receive citizenship. The fact that a similar issue exists today shows how much of history society has forgotten.

-Moira Camacho

Word Count: 526

Lysias 31.5-7

Park, Jin. “I’m a Dreamer and a Rhodes Scholar. Where Do I Belong?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Jan. 2019, http://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/11/opinion/dreamer-rhodes-scholar-human.html.

Understanding Athenian Metics as They Apply to DACA

Most history professors would argue that it is important to study the past so we can learn from our mistakes and avoid them in the future. The application of this unifying concept can be seen currently unfolding through the issue of immigration in American government thousands of years later. In ancient Athens, the main issue debated in the assembly was granting citizenship to metics and slaves, with both sides arguing primarily to benefit their political agenda and not became of their devotion to the cause. Metics were individuals who either immigrated to Athens or were born in Athens to non-Athenian parents. Both metics and slaves were characterized by their service in the Athenian military and/or their contributed to Athenian society in a notable manner. Similarly today, dreamers, a term that has been assigned to the young immigrants that were brought America illegal as children as their parents pursued the American dream, have made a large contribution to American society in academia and in the economy.

Created as an executive order by President Obama in 2012, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals has given nearly 800,000 unauthorized immigrants protection from deportation for a span of two years, which is eligible for reapplication. Early in his presidency, President Trump announced that he plans to phase out the program by not accepting new applications from dreamers, while granting those still in America temporary amnesty. This is projected to have a large negative impact on the American economy. Over the past decade the Joint Economic Committee estimates that dreamers have added $460.3 billion to the American economy, and that DACA deportations could cost the American economy billions as 91% of DACA recipients are employed. Similar to Athenian metics, dreamers are under the critical view of politically and socially esteemed members of their respective society, with the pressure to fulfill additional requirements socially and economically in order to be viewed as equal. A prime example of this is the tax metics had to pay despite possessing just as much Athenian blood as their peers in the Athenian assembly.

These two instances have eerily similar parallels, despite having a drastically different executions. Athens never opened citizenship to metics or slaves, despite a compelling argument for the incorporation of these groups. Despite metics and slaves being awarded the freedom of speech, they were never allowed to cast votes in assembly. This is somewhat similar to the current American immigration situation, as dreamers are allowed temporary residence in the United States while not being afforded all American privileges.

With these vast differences between American democracy and Athenian democracy, the two perspectives are united in the idea that we the people, or the “demos’, are the presider’s over the senate or assembly. As the United States continues to refine policy and develop and better understanding of the long term effects of immigration policy, the example of the repercussions for Athenians refusing metics citizenships will continue to be a historical place of reflection and introspection.

Death of a Government through Death of a Leader

In various circumstances throughout history, succession changes have been initiated through the killing of worrisome or cruel leaders. While murdering a leader may seem like a viable option to oust government corruption, it is not the answer to provide a smooth and stable change of power. This is demonstrated by ancient Rome’s Julius Caesar and modern Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, as the assassinations of these leaders only created more problems than existed while they were alive. In both cases of Caesar and Gaddafi, their deaths established power vacuums that brought great disorder and death.

Upon the assassinations of Caesar and Gaddafi, their states were left in complete disarray. With Julius Caesar, his death brought “immediate panic on the Senate floor” (1) of Rome and his conspirators had no clear plan on how to take control. Caesar had left no immediate heir to his rule and he surprisingly named his teenage nephew Octavian as his successor; this eventually created a battle for power between Octavian and politician Mark Antony. Plutarch compares the effect of Caesar’s death to the sun: “for during all that year its orb rose pale and without radiance” (2). While Gaddafi’s death induced joy rather than panic, a similar power vacuum emerged in Libya. Two governments began vying for power in addition to various extremist groups who wanted to take control of Libya’s vast oil reserves. Libya was destined to crumble without an immediate and strong government presence, as Gaddafi “used a military funded by oil to crush any opposition to himself, rather than build state institutions that could survive beyond him” (3). The transitional governments existing after Gaddafi’s rule were more focused on gaining support, similar to Octavian and Mark Antony, than putting lasting propositions in place to turn around the Libyan government.

Due to this unrest caused by these rulers’ murders, civil wars and deaths emanated in ancient Rome and modern Libya. A civil war in Rome began immediately following Caesar’s death and was conducted between the Second Triumvirate of Mark Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus versus the “Liberators”, or Caesar’s assassins, including Brutus and Cassius. Mark Antony and Octavian then promoted mass murder across the Republic by starting proscriptions and rewards for killing any enemies of the state; this was used to rid of opposition and gain money. The final civil war of the Roman Republic was conducted between Octavian and Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium, which marked the end of the Roman Republic and the start of the Roman Empire under Octavian. These events demonstrate that Caesar’s death sent the Republic into a crisis that led to the death of the Republic and the birth of an imperial system. A similar chain of events occurred in Libya, where the Arab Spring protests of 2011 gave way to foreign military intervention and a civil war in 2014. Since Gaddafi’s death, Libya has been unable to assume a unified national identity and rival factions are currently dueling for control of territory and oil. There have been tens of thousands of casualties as a result of this Libyan civil war.

Julius Caesar and Muammar Gaddafi were by no means universally popular rulers and were in fact killed due to their ambitious and cruel natures. While their murderers may have had good intentions in the killings, it is clear from the events discussed above that their deaths had horrific consequences. Caesar’s death and the events that followed provides a foreshadowing for the havoc that would exist in Libya after Gadaffi’s assassination. Both deaths changed the course of history in their respective states, and probably not for the better.

Lauren McDonnell

Word Count: 600

Sources:

“Aftermath of Caesar,” United Nations of Roma Victrix. Accessed 1 Mar 2019.
“Consequences of Caesar’s assassination,” Daily History. Accessed 1 Mar 2019.
“Libya in ruins four years after Gaddafi’s death,” The Newsroom, 20 October 2015. Accessed 1 Mar 2019.
Plutarch, The Life of Julius Caesar, trans. by John Dryden, 75 A.C.E. Accessed 1 Mar 2019.

Blog #3

Cameron Douglas

Blog #3 – Parallels in Regime Changes Across History

Regime changes in the ancient world were , yet hold key similarities to those that have taken place in the modern world. The assassination of Julius Caesar usurped the head of state and threw the nation into civil war. Similarly, the assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem, the president of South Vietnam, led to national turmoil and a major US conflict. Both events were conducted by members of the rulers’ own government with different views, and both resulted in political unrest and military conflict. Through the study of these changes in regime, one can better predict the outcomes of nation-states facing similar crises today.

Julius Caesar was perhaps the most prominent Roman Emperor and was responsible for a large portion of Rome’s successful conquests throughout Europe, mainly Gaul in modern day France. He was assassinated by members of his own government days prior to another major military engagement. The deed was done to put an end to his long and domineering reign. Caesar was killed by senators who had been conspiring his assassination and subsequent overthrow of his government for quite some time. This marked the end of his dictator-like rule of the Roman Republic. Although his murderers, who numbered over sixty, were visibly guilty, they were acquitted of their crimes under the condition that all of Caesar’s decrees would remain valid. This led to civil unrest among the population of Rome, eventually generating enough conflict to become a large-scale civil war.

The assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem occurred under similar circumstances. There was heavy political pressure surrounding Diem, the acting South Vietnamese President, at this time in the 1960’s. He was overpowered by South Vietnamese military forces the day prior to his assassination, which dramatically increased instability in the South Vietnamese government and populace. Following this event, the US became much more involved in the region and its complex political relations.

With both of these events in hindsight, one can use knowledge of these events and apply it to current situations in order to better understand them. As is evident, there is much to be gained from having studied the assassinations of both Caesar and Diem. The first major observation that could be drawn from these events would be the obvious correlation between political conflict within a government or country and the likelihood of the assassination of the head of state. Both of the instances aforementioned occurred when the leader blatantly opposed the views of other members of the government. Among other contributing factors to the assassinations would be imminent war or military conquest. When the similarities and differences between these changes of regime are analyzed, it is much easier to apply the common traits to modern day situations in an insightful and impactful way.

Word Count: 454