216 Global Ethics for Leadership
Stratagems for Business: Achieve Your Objectives Through Hidden and
Unconventional Strategies and Tactics”.^188
Cunning comes into being in darkness. Its essence is that an oppo-
nent should not be able to see through the intrigue. In international nego-
tiations, this leads to irresolvable conflicts between transparency and
tactics: when one state negotiates with another it cannot disclose its tac-
tics to the other. At the same time, however, its own public wants clarity
about what is going on. The dilemma can be solved only by holding
initial negotiations in secret. This may contradict the transparency that
democracy demands, but is justified when the results are announced,
allowing public debate and the possibility of a referendum or plebiscite.
Cunning behaviour by states follows the same pattern as the many
examples of cunning behaviour in business life. Is democracy, which
demands transparency, able to withstand this? Do light and cunning not
exclude each other? We look on with malicious joy or restrained anger,
depending on our standpoint, when political groups or opposing candi-
dates use cunning to try and outwit each other. At any rate, I am often
amazed how quickly and obediently political opponents react to provoc-
ative advertisements, thereby allowing the instigators to enjoy the head-
lines for weeks.
Are governments also allowed to use cunning against their own vot-
ers? They may, if they can justify their cunning publicly. It is cunning
when two different issues are put to the vote in the same referendum, to
ensure a majority for the government given the various interested par-
ties. It is cunning to split up a legislative proposal into different votes to
fragment the opposition, according to the old motto "divide and rule",
The ancient Romans said “divide and rule”, today we talk about “Salami
tactics”. The opposite approach, the “multipack”, combining separate
188
Harro von Senger, The 36 Stratagems for Business: Achieve Your Objectives
Through Hidden and Unconventional Strategies and Tactics, London: Cyan
Communications, 2005.