Why is Niccolo Machiavelli still considered important today?

Niccolo Machiavelli is still considered important today because many of his ideas helped form the foundation of modern international politics and governance. For instance, Machiavelli emphasized that rulers should use practical wisdom as they govern their domains. It is impossible, he said, to always be moral; thus, a ruler must learn that it is okay to do bad things to promote the greater good (but he must learn when to do them). As he said:

Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good. Hence a prince who wants to keep his authority must learn how not to be good, and use that knowledge, or refrain from using it, as necessity requires.

This idea greatly diverged from the medieval belief that a ruler should attempt to conform to a transcendent ideal of how a ruler should act.

This principle eventually developed into the philosophy of utilitarianism, which put simply is the idea that "the ends justify the means." Modern governments employ this idea quite often. For instance, the U.S. government has, at times, justified the use of torture by saying that it prevents terrorist attacks and thus saves lives.