Sun Tzu and the art of modern warfare / Mark McNeilly.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McNeilly, Mark.

Contributor:

Sunzi, active 6th century B.C.

Language:

Chinese

English

Subjects (All):

Sunzi, active 6th century B.C. Sunzi bing fa.

Sunzi.

Military art and science.

Physical Description:

xii, 304 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2001.

Language Note:

Art of war translated from the Chinese.

Summary:

In 1991, the world was stunned when the Coalition forces in Desert Storm crushed the Iraqi army in a ground war that lasted little more than 100 hours. One of the keys to this amazing victory was The Art of War, Sun Tzu's centuries-old text, which was used by Coalition strategists to plan the attack. In Sun Tzu and the Art of Modern Warfare, Mark McNeilly has distilled the wisdom of this venerable book into six basic principles, accessible to everyone.

McNeilly illuminates these principles and offers numerous, vivid examples of how they have been applied throughout world history, citing battles and campaigns from ancient Rome to World War II to the present. Long acknowledged as a classic text on strategy, Sun Tzu's The Art of War had been admired by leaders as diverse as Mao Zedong and General Norman Schwartzkopf. However, written two thousand years ago, the book can often be hard to fathom.

Now Mark McNeilly, author of Sun Tzu and the Art of Business, which made Sun Tzu accessible to the business executive, has extracted six concepts most applicable to modern warfare, making them easy to understand and apply to military situations. Drawing on a wealth of fascinating historical examples, McNeilly shows how these six principles might be used in wars of the future -- limited actions, regional conflicts -- and how they can provide insight into current affairs, such as the future course of China's increasingly important strategic and military role in the world. He describes how to win the information war, how to lead by example, and how to use alliances to defeat the opponent. Perhaps the most important lesson to be learned from Sun Tzu, especially for strategiests who want to maximize their resources, is how to "win without fighting." And, should fighting be unavoidable, victory should be achieved in a manner that minimizes losses, leaving the victor stronger and ensuring a lasting peace.

Including the full text of The Art of War in the popular Griffith translation, with cross-references to quotations used in the book, Sun Tzu and the Art of Modern Warfare unlocks these elusive secrets for anyone interested in strategy and warfare, whether they are professional solders, military history buffs, or business executives.

Contents:

Introduction: The Relevance of Sun Tzu to Modern Warfare 3

1. Win All Without Fighting: Achieving the Objective Without Destroying It 11

2. Avoid Strength, Attack Weakness: Striking Where the Enemy Is Most Vulnerable 33

3. Deception and Foreknowledge: Winning the Information War 68

4. Speed and Preparation: Moving Swiftly to Overcome Resistance 96

5. Shaping the Enemy: Preparing the Battlefield 125

6. Character-based Leadership: Leading by Example 155

7. Conclusions: Ancient Principles for Future Battlefields 181.

Notes:

Includes a translation of the Art of war.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [295]-299) and index.

Related Work:

Sunzi, active 6th century B.C. Sunzi bing fa. English. 2001.

ISBN:

0195133404

OCLC:

46791087