Why Leaders Lie?: US Strategy in Maintaining Peace and Recognition in the International Political Stadium

Leaders around the world are facing challenges which measures not only their capability to speak in front of people to gain their trusts and supports during elections.  They are also measured by their skills which plays a vital role in attaining the progress of their respective places especially in security factors be it external or internal threat. In the International Political Arena for example where all states are players and have roles to play in order to stay in the game, leaders are required to used their skills and capability in order to remain in the complex stadium of political entity. The world is anarchic in system where there is no centralize government and no regulating rules and guidelines making it very difficult for each state to maintain their recognition in the international field. Application of strategies by leaders plays a dynamic role in order to gain allies and to be recognized internationally by the families of nations which lead to opportunities and advantages in the International Economy.  Bandwagoning, as one of the strategies was used for survival.
If there is one trait that leaders have in common it is the ability to tell a lie to prevent or hide something because its revelation might be chaotic and will destroy the image of the government and the country. John Mearsheimer discussed in his book entitled Why Leaders Lie that lying to promote social welfare is acceptable since its goal is to make people safe from underlying circumstances that may affect their being and lives. It is also a good strategy to discuss the issues that existed through-out of time and is one of the good way in keeping the balance of power in the international field. Lying is considered as one of the options to hide or undisclosed information plans and strategies of the government. The used of it is not new in the society since it has been practiced ever since politics existed.
Deceptive appeal and cunning are also part of the strategy of lying and the United States of America is the champion of this craft. US Invasion of Iraq and Cuban Missiles Crises are few examples of their infamous success in these battles. Accusation of the US Government under George W. Bush that Saddam Hussein is manufacturing weapons of mass destructions gave the US the opportunity to invade Iraq even without the unanimous decision of the Security Council. The purpose of this deceit is to destroy the growing power of Hussein in which they believe will conquer the Middle Eastern Countries. Bush lied because he wanted to put an end in the endless battle between Iraq and Iran which is primarily caused by religious faction, particularly of Islam. Al-Khomeini, the fundamentalist leader of Iran belongs to a group of Muslims called Shi'a which dominated Iran for a long years while Saddam Hussein in the other hand belongs to Sunni Muslim which dominated Iraq. The religious faction between the two countries is believed to cause war. Another possible reason why Bush lied to his constituents is the involvement of fundamentalist groups if war between Iran and Iraq will continue. The partnership and existence of Hezbollah and Hamas is a big factor to be considered since these groups belligerently treat each other and other foreign troops. Furthermore, to avoid future problems, the United States made one of the biggest lie in the world by announcing that Iraq is manufacturing weapons of mass destructions making it easy for the American to enter Iraq's jurisdiction and destroy its sovereignty.
Another political situation that led the United States to lie is the Cuban Missile Crises where the former and late president John F. Kennedy decided to hide the truth behind the letter sent to Nikita Khrushchev of Russia. The letter is a request and warning to the Russian government to leave Cuba a missile free country. Cuba during the crises acted as a political prostitute serving and giving their allegiance to two powerful countries who at that time is having a race to be on the top of the most powerful countries in the world. The letter was hidden in order to avoid tension between the Cuban and Russian government when the latter put up laboratories for missile proliferation without the knowledge of Fidel Castro, who at the time is the revolutionary president of Cuba. If we try to analyzed the situations without using the biblical principle, lying became an instrument to prevent the possible out-break of bigger problems and even war. This strategy in the mere sense aims to maintain peace in the world and elude using the last resort in solving problems. Although it has a negative effect but it is still one of the best way used by state leaders to solve critical issues that may not only ruin the relationship of the authority to its people but also its peaceful relationship towards the family of nations in the international spectrum since we do not know who our allies and enemies especially that each states are bounded with national interest hence being recognize in the international political field is very important.