How should one read The Prince? As an ode to political amorality? A practical manual, a "how to do it" guide for acquiring and maintaining power without moral restraint? Or, on the contrary, as a sample of pragmatic and realistic analysis?

In a time like the one we are living in, a time of crisis and testing for democracy, a rejection of politics and all its bearers […] in such a time, we all feel the need to rethink what politics is, what it aims for, and by what means. From this perspective, rereading The Prince is not only enjoyable but also useful and relevant.

From the preface by Pavlos Tsimas