There are numerous books on warfare but not many that have been relevant for two and a half thousand years. Sun Tzu was a general in the Kingdom of Wu in China around 490BC. His text was translated from Chinese to French in 1782 and it has been suggested that it was the key to Napoleon's success. To this day, military strategists around the world have used Sun TzuÃÂs philosophies to win wars and have made Sun Tzu on the Art of War a staple of their military education. Sun TzuÃÂs theories on war are timeless to both military and civilian strategists. His theories are as relevant today as they were in 500 B.C.
Sun TzuÃÂs work covers all levels and spectrum of war. It provides fairly simple but applicable guidance from tactical aspects for the commander in the battlefield for waging war to strategic deliberations in the council chambers as to whether or not to wage war.(
Tzu Chi Foundation Facade, Hualien
Tzu-an
Tzu Chi Foundation in HualienCook,99) The principles that lie buried in the text of The Art of War have been used successfully in countless battles throughout time. Speed was an essential facet in the victories of Genghis Khan and his Mongolian horde. Controlling their enemies by the skillful use of alliances allowed the Romans to expand and maintain their empire. Secrecy and deception were used in major World War II battles, both by the Japanese in their attack on Pearl Harbor and by the Allies to mislead the Germans about the exact location of their invasion of France. The use of intelligence was critical to American success in the Cuban missile crisis. The Viet Cong lived by the rule of avoiding strength and attacking weakness, while the Red Army used this principle to deal Germany's Sixth Army a devastating defeat at Stalingrad.
Sun Tzu's principles were...