Is it better for a ruler to be loved or feared? Since both are difficult to combine, Machiavelli prioritizes fear in "The Prince," his famous treatise on the principles of statecraft. In her new book, Israeli sociologist Eva Illouz connects to Machiavelli in two ways: she emphasizes the importance of emotions in politics and examines how right-wing populists instrumentalize certain feelings. Since its founding, Israel has been shaped by security issues like few other countries. In this context, long-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has succeeded in the Machiavellian feat of being loved precisely because of the fear he instills. Through extensive interviews with human rights activists, among others, Illouz demonstrates how fear and resentment divide societies and undermine democracy.