The speaker suggests a combination of Machiavellian thinking with Gandhi's ethic, where realistic diplomacy is mixed with tolerance, mercy and leniency to achieve success both for individuals and groups.
Ashurbanipal's restoration work in Babylon was intertwined with the description of his brutality and clemency which shows that Mesopotamian royalty did not consider brutal reprisals against conquered populations. The Assyrians and Babylonians' practices of population deportation and kidnapping had deeply traumatized people of the ancient Near East.
Cyrus, the Persian conqueror, initiated a strategy of mercy and tolerance towards the defeated Lydians, which eventually earned him their loyalty and service.
Herodotus's historical account sheds light on the significance of agoras in ancient Greek culture and how it differed from Persia which did not have such marketplaces.