“Meka” i “tvrda” moć u islamskoj literaturi političkih saveta
“Soft” and “Hard” Power in Islamic Political Advice Literature

Counsels to Rulers by Ibn al-Ṭiqṭ

Summary/Abstract: This article explores how modern leadership theories revolving around the distinction between “soft” and “hard” power are prefigured in medieval Islamic political writing. In particular, it advances a new interpretation of Ibn al-Ṭiqṭaqā’s al-Fakhrī (On the Systems of Government and Muslim Dynasties, 701/1302), focusing on the Arab historian’s narrative about the factors that resulted in the decline of the ‘Abbasid Empire and the rise of the Mongols as a world power. It also discusses Ibn al-Ṭiqṭaqā’s ideas on good government, drawing links to other major Muslim political theorists and historians, notably Ibn al-Muqaffa‘ and Ibn Khaldūn. Finally, this study examines Ibn al-Ṭiqṭaqā’s views on successful and failed leadership in a cross-cultural context through comparison with Niccolò Machiavelli’s Prince.

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