Sun Tzu -- Art of War
In his famous book The Art of War, Sun-zi (Sun Tzu) was evidently influenced by Confucian ideals, such as his statements about the avoiding prolonged war if possible and the most successful generals being those who could win without fighting at all. He was from the Southern, semi-barbaric state of Wu, and his book was probably written in the Warring States period or perhaps during the Han Dynasty. He never referred to barbarians at all or any ethic differences, and always stated that the greatest generals had to know themselves and the enemy. Nor did he ever demonize his opponents or call for their total destruction, but rather recommended humane treatment for prisoners of war and civilian populations. Sun Tzu relied on clever tactics, strategy and espionage rather than brute force to win victories and from beginning to end his book cast a rather negative light on war rather than glorifying it. Near the conclusion, he once again reminded his readers that "raising a host of a hundred thousand men and marching them great distances entails heavy loss on the people and a drain on the resources of the state."[footnoteRef:1] In the case of Iraq and Afghanistan, he would have argued strongly against lengthy wars that reduced the resources of the state. Sun Tzu favored quick, decisive wars against weaker and poorly prepared opponents, preferably paid for by plundering the enemy's resources. He disliked siege warfare, wars of attrition or warfare based on hatred revenge and ideology, and he would also have criticized the U.S. leaders for initially supporting Iraq, the Taliban and the Islamic fundamentalists in the 1980s. For Sun Tzu, this would have been a sign that the American leaders had not thoroughly pondered and considered all their options before acting, and did not understand either their enemies or themselves. If forced to fight a war against guerillas and insurgents in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, however, Sun Tzu would not have followed orthodox and conventional textbook methods in doing so. [1: Sun Tzu. The Art of War (Pax Librorum Publishing House, 2009), p. 53.]
Sun Tzu was writing during a period of feudalism in China, which each state trying to unify all the others and become dominant in the region. He was most familiar with the type of conventional warfare involving standing armies and set-piece battles in open country and had little to say about guerrilla or unconventional warfare, although he was well-aware of the Northern 'barbarians' that engaged in this type of conflict. Some of the barbarians mentioned in the ancient Chinese sources would also be familiar to Westerners since they obviously refer to the nomadic horsemen from Central Asia like the Turks, Huns and Mongols. Indeed, the Hun-chu mentioned in the Records of the Grand Historian of China very likely were the selfsame Huns who attacked the Roman Empire in the 5th Century AD. The Chinese records had a variety of different names for them such as Northern Barbarians, Mountain Barbarians, Hun-chu and Hsiung-nu (Xiangnu), the latter having been "a source of constant worry and harm to China." When they used the term "barbarian" they meant it in the Greek and Roman sense of nomads without permanent towns, settled agriculture or writing, all of which the Chinese developed very early on in their history. They also thought of the barbarians as extremely hostile and aggressive, always making incursions against the more 'civilized' areas, with all boys learning to ride and use the bow and arrow from a very early age.[footnoteRef:2] [2: Records of the Grand Historian of China. Translated from the Shih Chi of Sso-Man Chien by Burton Watson, Volume II: The Age of Emperor Wu, 140 to Circa 100 BC (Columbia University Press), p. 155.]
This is certainly reminiscent of the type of guerilla and insurgent warfare the United States has faced in placed like Iraq and Afghanistan, in which the enemy is not a conventional standing army but men, women and children with strong ideological motivations such as nationalism or religion. Sun Tzu was pragmatic rather than ideological and did not care for this type of warfare, arguing that anger, hatred and passions should not influence
254). Evans wondered if in fact the two organizations have not heeded advice from the likes of Tzu: "…Can we be more proactive, anticipating and knowing what our 'enemies' are planning?" he wondered (p. 254). Evans (p. 254) also wonders if Tzu has a relevant point -- "When it is advantageous move; when not advantageous, stop" -- and explains that perhaps his organizations would be better off if they realize
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" (XII) but even if employees are paid, they must still be loyal for other reasons, as quite often talented employees can just find a job elsewhere. "Therefore, "the arms with which a prince defends his state" must be "his own," counsels the author of the Prince still ads that "the chief foundations of all states, new as well as old or composite, are good laws and good arms; and
If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected. These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand." (Tzu) But the true wisdom in this book is that it suggests constant preparation for all situations. "Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple
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