Numéro 3 - 27 juin 2018 SICARIO, MACHIAVELLIA- NISM OF NEOCONSERVATIVE AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY Hugo LETEMPLE-DABAS Graduate student - International Relations Université catholique de Louvain TECHNICAL PRESENTA- care of getting rid of the cartel mem- The subject and the way to show TION bers, Alejandro captures a police- the dark side of federal agencies man, a mule for the cartel, and forc- found Sicario to be compared with Sicario is a 2015 American es him to drive to Alarcon’s house. Zero Dark Thirty (2012), directed by movie, directed by Denis Villeneuve He also neutralizes Macer, who tried Kathryn Bigelow, which focused on and written by Taylor Sheridan. to follow him in the tunnels. Graver the tracking and the execution of The protagonist is Kate Macer, an then tells Kate the real goal of the Osama Bin Laden. It is interesting to idealistic FBI agent from the Critical operation is to favor the Colombian show in this paper the similarities be- Incident Response Group. During cartel Medelin to stabilize drug traf- tween the war on terror and the fight an assault on a house suspected to ficking and eliminate the escalation against drug traffics, especially since hide hostages for Mexican cartels, of violence at the border. Alejandro the 9/11 attack and the accession of an explosion causes the death of takes care of eliminating Alarcon and the neoconservative doctrine in the two of her officers. Kate’s superiors his family. His murder is a revenge Bush administration (2001-2009). suggest her to take part in a special for the murder of his own family, The use of similar methods, which task force of the Department of killed because he was a prosecutor includes relying heavily on military Justice (DoD), led by Matt Graver, fighting Mexican drug cartels in Co- forces and establishing exceptional charged to neutralize the Sonora lumbia. The film ends with Alejandro measures, has left us to wonder if the cartel. While taking the plane to the threatening Kate Macer, forcing her “war on drugs” was more a question task force base, Kate Macer meets to sign a document that certifies the of foreign policy than public health. Alejandro, Graver’s partner, a mys- legality of the operation. As he goes Thereby, the links between drug traf- terious contractor. After landing away, Kate aims her revolver on him fic and security threat could com- on the El Paso Base, they head to but finally refuses to shoot. promise the noble ideals of nation- Juarez with a team that includes US al health and focuses more on the Considered as a critical success at Marshalls, Drug Enforcement Ad- 1 theory of foreign policy developed ministration (DEA) Agents and units its release , the movie was especially since Machiavelli, focusing more on of Delta Force Army, in order to cap- praised for Villeneuve’s direction, the the success of operations rather than ture the brother of one lieutenant script and the performances from on the means put in place to achieve of the cartel. During the final assault Emily Blunt (Kate Macer) and Benicio them. We will thus focus on how Si- in the smuggling tunnels at the bor- del Toro (Alejandro). Despite a local cario manages to express Machiavel- der, Kate Macer frontally opposes controversy in Mexico for the depic- li’s principles in the fight against drug to Graver about the legality of the tion of the border between Mexico trafficking at the US-Mexican border, and the United States and the city operation. Graver explains she is just 2 and how the tensions of the Ameri- a pretext for the setup of the oper- of Juarez , Sicario allowed Director can society are represented through ation. Since the CIA is not allowed Denis Villeneuve to affirm himself in the main characters, i.e. Kate Macer, to operate on the American soil, her Hollywood after the thriller Prisoner Matt Graver and Alejandro. FBI agent status was used as a legal (2013) and before the breakthrough cover. While the task force is taking of Arrival (2016). 1 SICARIO, MACHIAVEL- are the Nobles: so that the People Vice-President Richard Cheney, Dep- placed in charge to guard the liberty uty Defense Secretary Paul Wolfow- LIANISM AND NEOCONSERVA- of anyone, reasonably will take better itz (who had Allan Bloom, a student TISM care of it; for not being able to take it of Leo Strauss, as a college teacher), The popular culture rooted the away themselves, they do not permit and finally John Bolton, the Deputy 6 political thought of Machiavelli as a others to take it away.” Secretary of State for International way to preserve power in unscrupu- Security, were the main architects The political framework of Sicar- 10 lous or remorseful ways. We cannot of neoconservative foreign policy . io illustrates the tensions between During the first Bush administration, enumerate the amount of characters the necessity to accomplish the ob- depicted as “Machiavellian” in mov- they were the main preachers of pre- jective of getting rid of the drug -car ventive war, in order to prevent the ies, books or real life that were also tels at the Mexican border, in order established as “villains”. But when potential rise of enemies that would to assure the security of the United affect US strategic influence11. John we look a little bit closer, the political States, and the decisions taken in or- thought of Machiavelli is more the Bolton, considered as a “War Hawk”, der to achieve this goal. This leads was especially involved in the Iraq in- result of the need for political lead- to tensions between Kate Macer, a ers to ensure first and foremost the tervention of 2003, and a strong ad- young and idealist FBI recruit, and vocate for military threats against the security of their city, and the values Matt Graver, the leader of the task 3 Iranian and North Korean regimes. they defend . These principles are force against the main perpetrators the foundation of the realist theory The proponents of the neoconserva- of these cartels. Screenwriter Taylor tive theory also have in common to of International Relations. The world Sheridan, from the El Paso region, is considered as an anarchic place express military conflicts with a sim- has been deeply affected by the es- ple rhetoric (“you’re either with us, without legitimate supranational au- calation of violence in the border thority. Thus, the conflict between or against us” from president Bush area as well as the involvement of US during the launch of his program States is the only way for a political agents in this fight. It was especially a leader to establish its domination against terrorism), and to insist on female agent of the FBI he knew for the “internal” threat of the enemy in and the protection of the so-called several months that inspired him to national interests. In our analytical order to enforce the principles of for- create the character of Kate Macer. eign policy on American soil itself 12. framework, the work of Machiavel- This real-life based character was a li does not underestimate the need non-negotiable condition for the di- This principle is important in the to apply reason in the conduct of 4 rector Denis Villeneuve, despite the decision-making process and the re- foreign policy . In his book The Dis- strong opposition from the produc- sponsibilities taken by the main char- courses on the First Ten Books of Ti- tion of the film7. According to Taylor acters in Sicario. Machiavelli’s rheto- tus Livy (1517), Machiavelli defends Sheridan, Sicario depicts the most ric, as much as the neoconservative a more republican vision of the pow- violent period of fights against drug one, does not focus on ethical issues er, based on the political morality of cartels in the late 2000s in the city but only on the success of actions. the Roman republic. He develops the of Juarez. The methods of US agen- This is especially the case of Alejan- necessity of virtù for the leaders. To cies, i.e. DEA, CIA or FBI, were greatly dro’s character in his ultimate goal. assume the security of their territo- strengthened by the Bush adminis- It was because of his involvement as ry, their military and political deci- tration, according to the neo-con- a committed prosecutor against the sions must involve foresight, courage 5 servative principles, following the drug cartels that he saw his family and firmness . Machiavelli insists on attacks of September 11th, 2001. One being murdered. He then became freedom as a principle preserving of the examples in Sicario is the scene a hitman13 for the CIA, charged to the Roman Republic. He also warns where Alejandro tortures Guiller- hunt the leaders of Mexican cartels. against the possible decadence of a mo Diaz8 with the “water boarding” His morality is one of the questions republican regime that would aban- method. This method has been prac- that has elicited the most questions don itself by delegating the defense ticed by the CIA in many secret pris- from screenwriter Taylor Sheridan: of the homeland to mercenaries, and ons around the world9. “Does this make him a bad man? no longer to the people. By doing so, I do not know [...] He’s a volunteer, dominant would show their obstina- Sharing the same representation for his own reasons “14. His mission cy to retain their prerogatives and of the world and, more generally, of may be associated with Machiavelli’s their privileges: international relations (namely an idea: “the greatness of a crime can anarchic environment where each “And without doubt, if the object cover his infamy.” In The Discourse State poses a threat to the other), 15 of the Nobles and of the Ignoble [pop- on Livy , Machiavelli tells the story the third-generation neoconserva- of Pope Julius II who decided to de- ulace] is considered, it will be seen tives were greatly influenced by Ma- that the former have a great desire to stroy all the tyrants who occupied chiavelli’s supporters in foreign poli- the lands of the Church, by getting dominate, and the latter a desire not cy The election of George W.