In the age and spirit of the mean

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene (Penguin), a bestseller in America, is a reflection of the state of the world’s only policeman, and is best read in the light of a post-Sept. 11 scenario. The 48 laws in descending order are:

48) Assume formlessness;

47) Do not go past the mark you aimed for; in victory, learn when to stop;

46) Never appear too perfect;

45) Preach the need for change, but never reform too much at once;

44) Disarm and infuriate with the mirror effect;

43) Work on the hearts and minds of others;

42) Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter;

41) Avoid stepping into a great man’s shoes ....

Greene’s book is entertaining enough, with marginal notes dealing with related fables of the topic at the moment. As is usually the case, specific instances in history are cited to drive home a point, or to further prove the efficacy of the law.

40) Despise the free lunch;

39) Stir up waters to catch fish;

38) Think as you like but behave like others;

37) Create compelling spectacles;

36) Disdain things you cannot have; ignoring them is the best revenge;

35) Master the art of timing ....

The 48 Laws is actually classified as a business book, which explains the seeming ruthlessness of many of the rules, that on the other hand may appear contradictory. There’s no leeway or allowance for the weak, and plasticity as a means of getting the upperhand is encouraged. That doesn’t speak much of businessmen, does it?

34) Be royal in your own fashion: act like a king to be treated like one;

33) Discover each man’s thumbscrew;

32) Play to people’s fantasies;

31) Control the options: get others to play with the cards you deal;

30) Make your accomplishments seem effortless;

29) Plan all the way to the end;

28) Enter action with boldness;

27) Play on people’s need to believe to create a cultlike following ...

Then the other day who should walk in but an American claiming to be a merchant marine and having a story to sell. The story had to do, in his words, "corruption in the US Embassy." He also mentioned something about his having warned the NBI about an Arab terrorist, a Libyan, with three passports currently in the country, but up to now his contact at the NBI and Interpol was sitting on the information he had given him. He had documents to prove his expose, he said, but he wished to have a plane ticket back to America and some pocket money in exchange for his story. He said he’d be back the next day so the editors could discuss his offer.

26) Keep your hands clean;

25) Re-create yourself;

24) Play the perfect courtier;

23) Concentrate your forces;

22) Use the surrender tactic: transform weakness into power ....

He was back the next day as he said, with sheaves of documents ready for the unraveling. He mentioned how they were selling visas at the US Embassy, and said how for $700, he could get me a visa to the US of any type I wanted on the same day that I handed him my passport. When I asked him if he was serious about the compensation, he was adamant: if the story breaks, then the Embassy visa racket will know it was him who spilled the beans. It was not worth risking his life for, he said, so he needed the return ticket home.

21) Play a sucker to catch a sucker– seem dumber than your mark;

20) Do not commit to anyone;

19) Know who you’re dealing with– do not offend the wrong person;

18) Do not build fortresses to protect yourself– isolation is dangerous;

17) Keep others in suspended terror: cultivate an air of unpredictability ....

When it became more and more obvious that he would not take no for an answer, he said: "Well, would you like to have a visa anyway?"

I said I’d never seen $700 in my life before, and that I had no business in America, not in the immediate future anyway. And the last time I was at the Embassy, or rather near it, was when the old nuclear powered car suddenly croaked. It is also the favorite pelting object of irate leftists whose demonstrations cause massive traffic jams causing all those employed at Port Area news rooms to be late for work.

16) Use absence to increase respect and honor;

15) Crush your enemy totally;

14) Pose as a friend, work as a spy;

13) When asking for help, appeal to people’s self-interest, never to their mercy or gratitude;

12) Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim ...

I suggested to the merchant marine to take his story to the PCIJ, maybe they could afford it. That way, it still had a chance to be printed in The STAR. He said though that if the paper was not interested, he would take his US Embassy corruption expose to the other papers. He said: "Think about it: You’re sitting on the biggest story. You can give me $700 and your passport at 9 in the morning tomorrow, and by evening of the same day, you’ll have any visa you want. You can even have a hidden camera taking shots at that moment when the man hands over your passport." I couldn’t help thinking that maybe he’d read Greene’s book; Robert’s not Graham’s.

11) Learn to keep people dependent on you;

10) Infection: Avoid the unhappy and unlucky;

9) Win through your actions, never through argument;

8) Make other people come to you– use bait if necessary;

7) Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit ....

What a cynical book The 48 Laws is, heralding the new paranoia America has so stoutly found itself in, with patriotic themes running out of its citizens' ears. The book can be entertaining and hold pockets of truth, but on the whole, it's soulless, heartless. It could be ideal reading in the john, and looks perfect atop the water closet.

6) Court attention at all cost;

5) So much depends on reputation –guard it with your life;

4) Always say less than necessary;

3) Conceal your intentions;

2) Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies; and

1) Never outshine the master.

In this case, I guess, America.