Vindicating Machiavelli, the master of manipulation

Over the centuries, The Prince has been bedtime reading for all sorts of ruthless tyrants

Biography: Be Like the Fox: Machiavelli’s Lifelong Quest For Freedom, By Erica Benner, Allen Lane, €25

Niccolo Machiavelli loved to manipulate people. “For a long time I have not said what I believed, nor do I ever believe what I say,” the Italian historian, diplomat and political scientist wrote to a friend. “And if sometimes I do happen to tell the truth, I hide it among so many lies that it is hard ...