Honest conduct in business and international relations and the example of Xenophon’s Agesilaus

Abstract

On many occasions, different parties may come in agreements to behave in a certain way so that they may be able to co-exist for their mutual benefit. It is more than common that the commitment of the parties may wane, which may be the result of not trusting neither the intentions not the priorities of the other part as well as the result of putting other priorities in front of said agreement. Thus, an issue arises: how does one build trust as well as commitment between different parties?  In this paper we will attempt to showcase that sticking to a promise matters in establishing trust, even when the other part is obviously doing the opposite. We will argue that this trust may not come in handy neither in the immediate future nor with that same part, it helps, however, in creating a solid base, on which promising policies may come to take place in the future. Without this kind of conduct, a more hostile environment prevails, and productive cooperation becomes a more difficult endeavour. To showcase that view, we will examine a relevant example in ancient Greek literature, and more specifically in Xenophon’s Agesilaus. We will take a look at the example of the episode of a treaty between the Spartan leader Agesilaus and the Persian satrap Tissaphernes, which the latter constantly and not so secretly undermined. How Agesilaus respected the treaty, even when he knew the other part did not uphold its end, and the paradigm that Agesilaus created with his general conduct. By doing so, we will attempt to understand the extent at which past actions can establish a stronger sense of trust and safety in business and international relations, and common goals of different parties may easier come to be accomplished.