--- title: "The Alcibiades tactic" description: "A way to gain power by placing yourself between rival powers." canonical: https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/48-laws-of-power/the-alcibiades-tactic/ updated: 2026-11-03 --- # The Alcibiades tactic > A way to gain power by placing yourself between rival powers. Robert Greene's framework, from 48 Laws of Power, pp. 219 to 234. Framework 10 of 27 from [48 Laws of Power](https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/48-laws-of-power/index.md) by Robert Greene. Category: Leadership. ## The steps 1. **Put yourself in the middle.** Stand between competing powers rather than joining either. 2. **Lure one side.** Promise your help so the other side, wanting to outdo it, pursues you too. 3. **Stay emotionally free.** Keep yourself inwardly unentangled and treat everyone as a pawn in your rise. 4. **Never become the lackey.** Refuse to become the servant of any cause. ## Where it comes from From chapter: LAW 20, pp. 219–234 Commit to yourself alone and others will court you. Queen Elizabeth I kept suitors and allies hopeful without marrying and ruled through a period of peace, and Alcibiades and Kissinger both made promises to rival camps and held the cards. In part two, Isabella d'Este kept tiny Mantua independent by charming Louis XII, Cesare Borgia and Pope Julius II, while seeming to support each, and Castruccio took Pistoia by promising help to both of its factions. Greene says to stay interested on the surface, keep your emotions disengaged, wait while others exhaust themselves, and sometimes proclaim independence, as Washington did. The reversal is that playing too many parties, or waiting too long, breeds distrust. ## The animation 24 seconds, 4:5, no sound. - MP4: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/48-laws-of-power/the-alcibiades-tactic.mp4 - MP4, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/48-laws-of-power/the-alcibiades-tactic-dark.mp4 - Still: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/48-laws-of-power/the-alcibiades-tactic.png - Still, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/48-laws-of-power/the-alcibiades-tactic-dark.png