2181 years ago a Roman consul Gaius Popillius Laenas, delivered one of the earliest known “Line In The Sand” ultimatums against King Antiochus IV of Syria. Is there a message buried in a two millennium old event that might inform Barack Obama as he rattles the military might over which American voters handed him title of Commander In Chief (CIC)?
Antiochus was a descendent of Seleucus, an Alexander the Great general who had taken Syria as his quarter of Alexander’s Empire upon the young Emperor’s untimely death. Antiochus had violently conquered, pillaged, and generally run amuck around the Eastern Mediterranean controlling Israel, capturing Cyprus and overrunning all of Egypt, except for Alexandria.
When Antiochus decided to also take control of Alexandria in 168BC, Rome’s tolerance for his exploits withered. Rome’s Senate appointed a Roman Consul as its ambassador to stop Antiochus’ further advance. The Senate sent Gaius Popillius Laenas, bestowing in Popillius Authority to carry the full power of Rome’s military might, and to speak and act on Rome’s behalf. The assignment commissioned Popillius to stop a powerful army marching under Antiochus’ leadership.
In 168BC Rome was the most powerful nation on Earth with the largest army. Popillius’ commission might have seemed straightforward enough, were it not for the fact that the Roman Senate dispatched their envoy by ship along with only a dozen attendants (lictors) in support.
History tells us that Popillius landed at Alexandria, and confronted King Antiochus confidently leading a wall of Syrian soldiers marching along the Nile toward the great ancient city. The confrontation was apparently short and effective. Antiochus intructed Popillius that Rome had no business in Egypt, to which Popillius replied that neither did Syria. Then Popillius did something which must have taken some degree of daring and courage. He told Antiochus that he was offending the Roman Senate, and the people of Rome and that he had been instructed to make the King return to Syria. What scene that must have been – a dozen men facing an army, and telling its leader to go home.
Not surprisingly, the request was met with laughter, and the 168BC version of Oh yah, you and whose army? with Antiochus asking, “how are you going to make me go home? Where is your army?”
Popillius explained to Antiochus something like, “I am everything that is Rome. I am Rome. I am Rome’s largest army. Go home.”
If observed from one hundred feet above the setting just outside Alexandria through the eyes of a falcon, this is one of those moments in history, which would have provided boundless admiration for an almost solitary Roman Consul. Gaius Popillius Laenas remained steadfast through the exchange, and with another, “No,” from Antiochus, Popillius drew a complete circle around the King in the Egyptian soil, with his staff.
Against the backdrop of the Syrian army looking on, Popillius instructed their King, “Before you step out of this circle, think again, and when you do step out of it, be facing East, and go home to Syria.”
History informs us that King Antiochus IV turned around and marched with his army out of Egypt.
Much can be learned from Popillius and his superiors in 168BC, including:
1. Understand the power you have at your disposal and how to use it.
2. Establish its most effective and beneficial application.
3. Effectively negotiate with a strategy to do so, rather than ad libbing on the fly with whatever non-sense your ego feels necessary.
4. Delegate authority. If you’re surrounded by head-nodding advisors, the bench isn’t deep enough to be delegated any authority. Deepen your bench.
5. Deliver the message concisely, clearly, emphatically and with uncompromising confidence. That dramatically affects the reception of the message.
6. Here is a simple one which seems a long reach for the current CIC – Mean what you say.
7. When you set out on a mission, have a plan and hold the determination to implement it.
8. Don’t blink.
A constituent of the vast baby boomer generation with a career which has been fortunate to know the ponderous corporate worlds, as well as the intimately pressurized, and invigorating entrepreneurial domains of high tech and venture capital, I have harvested my share of mistakes meandering through corridors of enterprise from Silicon Valley, to London and endless, colourful, sometimes praetorian points in between. The voyage has provided an abundance of fodder for a pen yielding to an inquisitive keyboard, a foraging mind, and a passionate spirit.
Whether political or business or social or economic or personal, is it not all political? It is a privilege to write, and an even greater privilege to be read by anyone, and sometimes with the wind at my back the writing may occasionally be legible. I do not write to invite scorn, nor to invite respect, but if I get really lucky the writing can stimulate thinking. I also write for the very selfish purpose of animating my own processes, and engaging the best of what life offers. Above all, whether biting fire or swatting shadows, I am grateful to be gifted the freedom to write and publish whatever flows down to the keyboard. To all those who enabled this freedom, and to all those standing guard to preserve it, I am indebted.
An interesting history lesson.
James Raider
I like your POST, THANK YOU,
NOW two days of MILITARY ACTION , has change to 90 days from what I READ,
RAMUNSSEN SEC GENERAL OF NATO IS FOR IT, OF COURSE, WHAT DID WE EXPECT FROM HIM,
it take a very smart brain to stop the ripples on the OCEAN,
not all can take on the job even if they think so and made to think so,
a real leader is a born leader,with the gifts needed he can move the mountain with words that fit the subject and with the gut’s feeling to know which side he must take,
it is apparent that since the first 9/11 so many WARS ON THE SAME CONTINENT ARE OVERDONE
the target which is the same, and at the same MIDDLE EAST WITH NO RESULT,
except to bring them home with their mindset and agenda for a near future,which is very close,
it’s time to trust no more those who want to close the CRESCENT INTO A MOON CIRCLE,
Great read James. Right on spot. The last few articles from both Skook and yourself have been quite enlightening to say the leas. As I’ve said in the past, how is it that man refuses to learn from history?
@Skookum: #1
A sad truth of humanity is that generally we seem never to learn from our own history, leaving “history lesson” to remain an incongruous phrase. . . . But we can keep trying. 🙂
@ilovebeeswarzone: #2
Hey MsBees, thanks.
. . . . You’d think that a Nation’s population would in majority have enough intuitive sense to smell when an individual completely lacks that capacity for leadership.
@joetote: #3
Thanks for that very positive note.
That’s one of our most profound questions, and each of us probably holds differing insights on the answer.
My sense is that the ego is permanently fundamental to our human corporeal make-up and without much ‘evolution’ it seems. Our Souls are here experiencing our egos, in all their varieties, natures, colors, and tendencies. That is a source of our Souls’ learning.
Each human born is presented with challenges ‘new’ to that individual. We are intrigued by our history, but we each seem bent on having to ‘experience’ freshly on our own. Through our own challenges, we progress, but not so much from the experiences of others, including those or our ancients.
It’s worth a longer dissertation, because we each have different views on this great question.
James Raider
I lost a comment to answer you, just a while ago,
it was about saying that not everyone can perceive a leader
by discovering his under skin aptitudes,
they just take what the speech promises and the gifts coming so to have votes,
like one said which rapt it out, for all: OBAMA SAID HE WILL PAY FOR MY GAS,
@ilovebeeswarzone: Of course Obama is going to pay for your gas. He just did not say your gas was going to be generated in your body, and when passed would stink. But then again, I think what Obama intended was that we would pay for his gas.
Carl
that’s funny and well done
the two first lines raise my eyebrows both of them
and the last line, lower one of them and got my big laughter out,
bye
thank’s for the laugh
HILARY has got it, she said if ASSAD agree to turn out the chemicals it would be a good thing,
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WOULD GET TOGETHER TO HELP AND THE UN ALSO
to save a destructive war what ever you want to call it, it’s an AGGRESSION.
and it’s worth trying it, if you have options use all of them before attacking a country who never attack you and received AMERICAN DIPLOMATS before like a very special person, enough to have KERRY PRAISED HIM,
NO WAR ON A SOVEREIGN COUNTRY trying to solve her own civil war with rebels killing the SYRIANS CITIZENS, AND USE CHEMICALS TO KILL THE MASS KILLING AS OPPOSE TO ASSAD
you accused without proofs,
IT was proposed by the CONGRESS PEOPLE AND THE HOUSE REPUBLICANS, BUT KEPT OUT OF THE TALKS AS IF IT WAS NOTHING IMPORTANT,
but anything is important to save a war which would degenerate in a WW3 FROM THE FIRST SIGN OF ATTACK,
@ilovebeeswarzone: #10
Sorry MsBees, I don’t see it that way. All she said was “that would be an important step.”
That was a meaningless, unactionable, non-committing comment about nothing, from Clinton. “Step” to what? She doesn’t know. She might as well have said, “I like the sound of my voice.’ Actually, I was just dismayed that her lips were moving.
In any case, this is NOT about poisonous chemicals IMO.
What we should be doing is addressing Putin head-on. Putin is controlling the game. We need to change that immediately, and turn the table on him. One possibility would be a peaceful breakup of Lybia to put a break into the easy flow of arms South from Iran which are used against Israel. But that won’t happen.
For now Obama should just take the tool that Putin’s offered him to extract his foot from his mouth.
James Raider
I respect your opinion, but she is the first of the DEMOCRATS close to OBAMA
to come out with a opening to prevent the war, even if it come from PUTIN,
ANYONE WHO CAN BE A PARTICIPANT IS MAKING A STEP TOWARD A RESOLUTION OF PEACE,
that was my view,
bye
@James Raider:
Russia’s idea, which Assad is for completely, would end any necessity for Obama’s request from Congress for war powers in Syria.
But Obama needs new hoops so that he still can obtain his authority to wage war.
Thus, an impossible-to-happen plan by Russia is seen as a 1st step.
And it is an impossibility.
Assad does not have control over these weapons.
The rebels have at least some of them in Aleppo.
Going in to collect them would be met by rebel war against those who would collect them.
But it would give Assad a way to quit the country and live.
One thing his wife would not want to see happen is the same wild raping and torturing and murdering of Assad and family as happened to Gaddafi.
@Nan G: #14
Absolutely right – that’s the fist reason this is NOT going to happen. There is no ‘rebel’ leadership to negotiate with, and Assad’s military leadership cannot be trusted. No one would be dumb enough to grab a shovel and head into Syria digging for any weapons, much less chemical weapons.
Can you picture guys at the UN saying, “Yah, let’s go.” — “No. You go first.” — “Hell no, I’m not going.” — “Maybe we’ll go tomorrow.”
That is up to Putin to accomplish, and is in the realm of the possible IF we had competent negotiators, but Putin is “drinking Obama’s and Kerry’s milkshake.” (Daniel Day Lewis).
Ideally, Assad resigns, we agree with Putin to a replacement, Israel is appeased somewhat, Saudis are told to shut it, and all is well in the world. Sigh.
it is difficult to achieve because the trash is flying FROM WEST TO EAST, and either trust the other,
but the stake are high if OBAMA DECIDE TO ATTACK, HE WILL HAVE ANOTHER WAR, ON ALL FRONTS
AND THE soldiers will die, while OBAMA IS LOOKING ON THE SCREEN
COMFORTABLE IN THE WHITE HOUSE,
@ilovebeeswarzone: #16
A big challenge for public opinion on Syria, is deciphering the message from the avalanche of media coverage which is inundating the landscape – talk about a tsunami.
Obama will figure out how to take credit for packing his tent and going home. This started with Obama’s ego, and he needs to ‘look’ good backing-up.
The bleachers of adoring fans will applaud – look for satisfied approval from the pandering media.
Look for it – just announced: An Obama parade in New York, ticker tape and all, celebrating the NO WAR success of the Nobel Peace Prize Winner.
James Raider
tell me that I’m wrong to think a few minutes ago that OBAMA
would not listen to CONGRESS AND THE HOUSE,
but he will listen to PUTIN, AS THE FOX ANCHOR SAID ,
HE JUMP ON IT, and O’REILLY SAID NO, BUT THE ANCHOR SAID OH YES HE JUMP ON IT,
@ilovebeeswarzone: #18,
He sees Congress as an impediment to his ego’s missteps and baffling intrigues, but it IS a good place to deposit blame. Blaming Congress is easy, everyone does it and hates it.
O’Reilly’s been cheering for unleashing the dogs of war on Syria from the first. Obama’s only trying to figure out how he’s going to package the removal of his foot in his mouth so that he doesn’t lose the adoration of his fans. He’s certainly not losing his own adoration. Ever.
Look for the upcoming Ticker Tape Parade.
James Raider
you have him figured out with quite precision,
I was thinking how can they take out the rebels chemical?
the only way is for ASSAD to tell the rebels to join back or be counted as the other alqaeda,
and be fought in a last fight to keep the COUNTRY AND FREE IT FROM THOSE DANGEROUS KILLERS,
I don’t think ASSAD WOULD RESIGN, he has been there as a recipient of this COUNTY BY HIS FATHER,
and is part of the furnitures, he is a fighter till death
James RAIDER
that handshake between OBAMA AND PUTIN
is telling a lot more than that,
don’t you think?
bye
@ilovebeeswarzone: #20
You may be right. He may remain obstinate and hold firm until he’s removed by force, but there not much chance of that. Most people in Assad’s position don’t ever hear the truth. Obama’s not the first one to surround himself with “YES” energy which adores his very presence. Assad’s generals won’t tell him any truth. Guarantee they despise him as much as the world does . . . egos at war within the ranks.
So Assad may not fully understand what is fully at stake from within his cocoon. I suspect that Assad is not an idiot, unlike Hussein and Qaddafi, and that he may look for a personal exit at some future point, depending on how Putin plays him.
Putin will play relative to prevailing winds. Putin just wants control over the geography, and couldn’t care less about Assad.
Perhaps Putin will provide Assad with a Dasha on the shores of the Black Sea, in which he can sail into dictator retirement. Putin owes him at least that, given the billions he’s made from Assad.
Obama today, . . . “I hope this can be resolved in a non-military way.”
WTF is that?
Does this fit, “shot across the bow?” Talk about running backwards. This fits his teaching Assad a lesson? It certainly serves Obama’s objective of NOT seeking regime change. LOL
James Raider,
OBAMA will be saying: I sure gave ASSAD a good scare,
that work out okay,
James RAIDER
if OBAMA goes there it should be to fight , THE REBELS,
but he favor the rebels and his mind is to help the rebels,
that’s where it’s very wrong, to attack ASSAD,
NAN IS RIGHT THE REBELS HAVE THE CHEMICALS, AND KILL WITH IT,
BYE
@ilovebeeswarzone: @<a
I have no sense of who Obama thinks he’s helping other than he is indulging The Great Me and conducting foreign policy On The Ad Lib. Unfortunately for America, to conduct foreign policy on the run, you at the very least have to possess a sharp mind, experience, and understanding.
I do not doubt that rebels have chemical weapons, and I’m sure that Assad’s military has them as well. Nevertheless, I cannot understand what advantage use of them would have provided Assad. It makes no sense whatsoever.
If we were talking about Hussein, or Qaddafi, or the loon in North Korea, I’d be up for convincing, but Assad’s history, and education, suggest he’s not an idiot. My guess is that Obama does not have evidence that Assad is guilty of releasing gas on Syrians. There is also not much chance that we’ll find out which of the rebels might have done it.
We should also not be surprised with the number of Christian Syrians in Syria as well as in America and Western countries, who strongly support Assad, and have depended on Assad for remaining alive for living in relative peace in Syria.
James Raider
I read that McCAIN is friendly with the chief of the REBELS SYRIAN,
he talk well of him and his followers, he was there not so long ago,
but I think as long as they fight with ALQAEDA, they won’t succeed ever,
and if they are help by the OBAMA as was said in the BENGHASI ATTACK,
this civil war is prolonged for longer,so there we put the finger on those two who would put that rebel commander in charge, by fighting ASSAD OR KILL HIM, IT WOULD FIT THEIR AGENDA,
@ilovebeeswarzone: #27
Isn’t it a psychotic twist that this Syrian Crisis was created by Obama, on the fly? And Kerry was obviously running with NO playbook in all of his addresses.
NO aforethought. NO strategy. NO objective. NO management. NO clue.
James Raider
IT could be they use the CONGRESS to be in their scenario,
which they never intended to make it concrete,
because it was an insane scenario,
just a couple of days, no boots on the ground, yes no plan of return because in their scenario our ships would have been blown up by one of the three players,
evil scenario,
Postscript:
There’s a sales closing technique crudely called, “back-up the hearse and let ’em smell the roses.”
. . . Obama will whine, “Look at these atrocities. I am right, but you just don’t get it. Assad killed children and I can teach him a lesson.”
Obama’s provided (written by someone else) address will contain exactly this and will provide nothing in way of evidence, or strategic objective, which Americans may care about.
He will blame Bush for the overwhelmingly negative reaction against his own absurd Red Line in The Sand.
He will also keep backing-up, but if he accepts a Putin offer, he will look even more the fool than he already is.
This has moved beyond America being against Obama’s War, it is America being against Obama being CIC conducting ANY WAR.
James Raider
I just heard SECRETARY KERRY, YELLING AGAIN TELLING ASSAD to move it 15 DAYS
and give the chemicals to those recipients. AFTER HIS LONG SPEECH,
BYE
@James Raider:Bingo, you have the lottery number. Obama has damaged his image among his sympathetic simpletons, and no one else trusts him to conduct a war or foreign policy. America and the rest of our allies are hoping the next 3+ years go by smoothly without this nitwit getting the world in a world wide conflagration because of his incompetence and a fragile ego that is not up to the serious nature of guiding a superpower.
@Skookum: #32
I’m hoping that H. Clinton flies close enough to his worshiped glow of self-righteousness, to get burned.
She’s busy doing her part today, lying and triple-tonguing her way into backstopping the Obama crash-landing, with this line during an acceptance speech in Philadelphia for the 2013 Liberty Medal, “This debate is good for our democracy. As our founders knew, fervent argument is the lifeblood of our government. How could a republic last if citizens had no opinions of the issues of the day or were too intimidated to express them?”
As if these clowns supported the constitution and welcomed open debate counter to their sermonizing, on their way to socialism. Here this genius is trying to explain to the great unwashed the cause for America being AGAINST Obama’s War. Someone should tell her it’s 80% of America which isn’t up for Obama’s foreign policy fiasco.
In the meantime her dear leader is running from the ledge, asking Congress to delay a decision, buying time, as if Putin’s negotiating gambit makes sense. Putin is pissing himself today, and laughing too hard to contain himself.
@James Raider: Aye JR. it will be a busy week, as the Russians drive through the war zone of head hunters with semis full of Sarin gas. No one wants the gas, now that they know how mean Obama gets when you use the gas, it’s nothing but a liability.
There will be lots of photos of loading the gas on Russian freighters, but there is a peculiar a sect to still photography capturing images of loading: you can’t tell if they are loading or unloading. Surely our media and politicians wouldn’t be that stupid, whoops, I suppose that is a type of rhetorical question.
@Skookum: #34
NK. His media outlets are embarrassing themselves beyond comprehension and working overtime to shoreup the collapsing damn.
His speech seemed to have been written by 2 different, but confused people, and evidently he didn’t read it beforehand. There’s an abundance of contradiction, confusion and blame, such as, . . .
• “We aren’t the world’s policeman.” vs. “We have to teach Assad a lesson.”
• “We can’t allow Assad to stomp on International moral boundaries. If we fail to act, WMDs will threaten our allies.” vs. “Congress, please postpone your vote. Don’t declare war. Just approve military action. But, there’s no rush here, so take your time. ” (America will forget about my screw-up eventually, and this will pass.)
• “I’ve resisted military action particularly because after a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, Americans are tired of war.” (It’s Bush’s fault)
• “Al Qaeda will gain strength in a chaotic Syria if we don’t strike.” Umm, if you strike and weaken Assad, you really think that Al Qaeda would be thereby weakened? Not much demonstration of logic here.
• “It wasn’t a direct or imminent threat to our security.” Right, so let’s attack? WTF?
And all that after, . . .
“I’m not allowing Assad to cross The Red Line.” vs. “I didn’t set a Red Line”
and the unforgetable insult to America, . . . .
“My credibility is not the line. America’s credibility is on the line.”
I’m waiting for, “I have credibility. I have a Nobel Peace Prize.”
James Raider
I think he is loosing it, to much of whatever stuff he indulge in,
it show n his face his eyes his words,
@ilovebeeswarzone: #36
MsBees, No doubt, 60% of America similarly reacted to Obama’s countenance yesterday, and not just his words.
I agree with you on his appearing as if “he’s loosing it,” which is worth exploring. Here’s 2 cents worth of opinion, . . . .
His worshiping throng explains that because he’s the smartest guy in the room, (which may be true in one of his Cabinet Meetings), addressing the Nation is beneath his intellect, “I’m so smart that you great unwashed should just go along with whatever I tell you.” So guys like Jon Stewart say, “he’s bored, he’s so smart.” NOT terribly insightful – but Jon sees what he wants to see.
What they haven’t figured out is that Obama the President, is a creation of a handful of people. There is no record of consequence, or substance, on Barack Obama’s history. Everything had been purged from the moment of his entering the world, all the way to his running for Senate where he became Mr. Present. He’d accomplished nothing, and his creators/handlers could not provide anything of value for his resumé. They still can’t.
Barack Obama, (HE and WE can blame his handlers for this), became a supremely successful creation. His handlers have also protected him very effectively. From the beginning of his public evolution, all he has known is approval. Over time, that grew into adoration – how can we forget his ostentatious Greek Column exhibition of 2008.
Only a weak and insecure individual would allow himself to used as he has been. A narcissist cannot face contradiction, and in Obama’s case, he’s been sheltered and has no clue how to deal with it. If you are ill-equipped, you can’t make up for that shortfall. As President, you can depend on talent around, only have the capacity to pick great talent, more talented than yourself.
We vent about his being out-of-his depth on practically all matters of import to the Nation, with that ineptitude culminating into the Syria/Putin disaster, but Obama has NEVER done anything which would inform his managerial duties of President, or that might have enabled the fine tuning of his capacities for strategic thinking and negotiating on the world stage. We also have witnessed his complete misunderstanding of what it takes to create jobs, which is damaging to America.
Pathetically, he was sold to America by his handlers as being a Constitutional Scholar. He has ignored that inviolate document at the heart of the Nation, trashed it, trashed-talked the Supreme Court Justices, and treated laws as one would treat rubbish. It’s worth noting that his handlers have also ‘used’ him, and when they’re done with him, he may have few friends to count on.
NOW, he’s not pissed, he’s LOST, as you say MsBees. He’s lost, and Mamma Jarrett cannot make it better, she cannot change him, and she can’t save him. She can only repeat, “You’re wonderful, you’re smart, they’re fools, everything will be alright.” He is what he is.
If he crashes while still President, it will be a National embarrassment.
James Raider
and his partner KERRY might blow the whole peace talk with his bully behavior,
he was a bully before when he attack his brother in arm in front of the CONGRESS,
I bet he is not well like because he stooge on his own warriors who had a hard time in VIETNAM,
instead of supporting them,
that is a stain , no matter what soap he use to wash it out,
James Raider
this is one of maybe more event he has created to keep the AMERICANS worry,
IF WE COUNT ALL THE OTHER PHONEY SCANDALS HE NAMED,
all of them had left so much a depress feeling on the PEOPLE,
HE DOES not stop pounding on the heads of citizens crisis after crisis,
boy when he leave even the DEMOCRATS WILL SEE THE UGLY HOLE HE WAS IN.
BYE
@ilovebeeswarzone: #38
Unfortunately, I don’t believe that there’s anything to “blow.”
Putin can’t be trusted with anything, any more than we can believe what Obama says when he’s talking.
Nothing will come of ‘Putin getting Assad’s arsenal’ – NOT going to happen, IMHO. What Puting might do, is pretend, while loading Syria with Russian troops to take physical control of the country, to be “looking” and “gathering” chemical weapons. That would guarantee that no missiles will be rained on Syria. But all this will come to naught.
Obama’s can of worms will have squirmed from the headlines, and our attention will be focussed on the next scandal.
James Raider
yes but I NOTE THAT PUTIN HAS SOME VALUE IN SYRIA,
so it is not only to help our side if it is that,
but his interest is to not remove ASSAD, HE DEFINITELY DO NOT WANT A WAR,
which he would be force to join so to preserved his interest,
and we must think of IRAN HESBOLAH ISRAEL GETTING PULL IN TO DEFEND ITSELF,
YES DEFINITELY WORLD WAR 111, CANADA WOULD BE PULL IN IT
APOCALYPSE AGAIN
BYE