Niccoló Machiavelli wrote The Prince in order to set out certain guidelines that the ruler of a state must follow in order to govern successfully. During Machiavelli's time, the world was filled with monarchies and other forms of government that act differently than the common democracy that exists in the world today. Could a political book written in the 16th century still have value in today's politics? In order to answer this question, this article will examine Barrack Obama in depth, to determine if he is following the guidelines set forth by Machiavelli. I argue that the majority of the guidelines are still followed today, which is why the Prince expounds ideas that still have value in today's political society. Nicholas di Bernadrdo de' Machiavelli resided in Florence, Italy, and was unable to participate in government due to his father's lack of wealth (Rebhorn, Introduction, p. 15). Little is known about Machiavelli's youth; Records of him did not begin to appear again until 1498, when he was reinstated in the newly elected municipal government, which had just overthrown the Medici family. There he held numerous government positions until 1512, when Spain invaded Italy and the Medici family regained power. They imprisoned him and he was eventually exiled from Florence. It was there that he wrote The Prince, as a guide for Italy and Florence to have a balance of power and control. His writings are based on the current political atmosphere of his time and on historical examples from other states, in order to create a certain guideline for monarchs on how they should rule (Rebhorn, Introduction, p. 15). First, Machiavelli gives the guidelines on how a new principality should be created from an existing principality. Middle of paper......KWTX, October 27, 2008.Web. May 8, 2014. Leigh, David, James Ball, Ian Cobain and Jason Burke. "Guantanamo leaks lift the veil on the world's most controversial prison." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, April 25, 2011. Web. April 15, 2014. Machiavelli, Niccolò and Wayne A. Rebhorn. The Prince and other writings. NewYork: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003. Print. Manuel, Dave. “US Military Spending Over the Years.” DaveManuel.com. Np, June 14, 2010. Internet. April 16, 2014.McHenry, Robert. “Impeach Obama, already? Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, November 10, 2008. Web. May 8, 2014.Peter, Bergen, Sterman David, Emily Schneider and Bailey Cahall. "Are the NSA's BulkSurveillance programs stopping terrorists? | NewAmerica.org." Do NSA BulkSurveillance programs stop terrorists? New America Foundation, January 13, 2014.Web. April 14. 2014.