Knowing any man’s mainspring of motive, you have, as it were, the key to his will.
—Baltasar Gracián
In the Machiavellian perspective, few events in public life are rarely what they seem to be. Power depends on appearances, on manipulating what the public sees. On seeming good, while doing what is necessary to gain and maintain power. Sometimes it is easy to see through the fog and pick out people’s motives or intentions. But usually, it is quite complicated—what is really going on, we ask ourselves? In the new media environment, the ability to create fog and confusion has been greatly enhanced. Stories and rumors can be planted with virtually no source behind them. The story will spread virally. Before people begin to question the validity of story A, their attention is distracted by something else, story B or C; in the meantime, story A takes root in people’s minds in subtle ways. It is an added layer of uncertainty and doubt that makes it quite easy for all kinds of insinuation games. To decipher events that seem hard to read, I sometimes rely on a strategy that comes from the Latin
Cui bono?
It was first used in this context by Cicero and it literally translates to, “For whose good, or benefit?” It means: when you are trying to figure out the motives behind some murky action, look to see whom it really benefits in the end, and then work backward. Self-interest rules the world.
Daily Law: Don’t be fooled by appearances, by what happens, by what people do and say. Always ask:
Cui bono?
powerseductionandwar.com, November 23, 2007