Sun Tzu and the Art of Modern Warfare

by Mark McNeilly, Sun Tzu

Long acknowledged as a classic text on strategy, Sun Tzu's The Art of War has been admired by leaders as diverse as Mao Zedong and General Norman Schwartzkopf. However, written two thousand years ago, the book can be somewhat daunting to the modern reader.
Now Mark McNeilly, author of Sun Tzu and the Art of Business, which made Sun Tzu accessible to the business executive, has extracted the 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-both conventional wars and terrorist conflicts-and how they can provide insight into current affairs, such as the war on terrorism and China's increasingly important strategic and military role in the world. In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, McNeilly has written a new chapter for this paperback edition, which addresses how Sun Tzu's ideas can be applied to the war on terrorism. He also describes how to win the information war, how to lead by example, and how to use alliances to defeat the opponent.
Including the full text of The Art of War in the popular translation by Samuel Griffith, 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 soldiers, military history buffs, or business executives.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Military History

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Mark is the author of two books on Sun Tzu's Art of War, both published by Oxford University Press. Sun Tzu and the Art of Business: Six Strategic Principles for Managers helps business people apply Sun Tzu's strategic philosophy to business problems.

Mark has twenty-four years of experience in the IT industry working for IBM and graduated with honors from the University of Minnesota's MBA program. Mark currently is leading the corporate branding strategy at a Fortune 500 company.

Reviews

[R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome book. Highly recommend this to all fans of Military History, and all members of the military. He takes one of Sun Tzu's principles or lessons and applies it to modern day warfare by giving an example from war in the last century where his lessons were either adhered to or not.



The book also includes a complete translation in the back of the actual unedited Art of War as well though so if you wanted to read that its there. Two books for one! Can't beat that.

[Omar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to read if you want to read, are reading, or have read Sun Tzu's Art of War. It illustrates Sun Tzu's principles using battles, conflicts, and wars that 21st century Westerners are familiar with. Great for history/war buffs. I especially recommend this for active Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, and Seamen.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uses historical examples to clarify the key principles of The Art of War. The author then applies these core concepts to analyze the geopolitical issues facing China. While the book is empirically rather than methodologically driven, it does provide some unique insights to China’s emerging role as a regional superpower and non-traditional security concerns, such as terrorism.

[Cimuchowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deals with the integration of foreign and domestic policy and the use of resources before, during and after a conflict/national effort.

[Elynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a fascinating book. I love the accounts of previous battles and wars.

[Freddie williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Philosophy, Martial- I have read several translations this one is abridged and gives the reader modern examples and applications, which makes it much easier to stay engaged.

[Eric Molicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful summary and connection with modern tactics/strategy.

[Karlisha Marie Moses]

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