The Art of War

Written by Frank Li

Hello from China!

In a previous post (America: What Did Sun Tzu Mean?), I asked my fellow Americans to listen to Sun Tzu. In this post, I will talk about his book: The Art of War, written some 2,500 years ago, which is still highly relevant to the world today, including America.

1. Who is Sun Tzu?

Below is an excerpt from Wikipedia – Sun Tzu.

Sun Tzu (/ËŒsuËnˈdzuË/;[2] also rendered as Sun Zi å­™å­) was a Chinese general, military strategist, and philosopher who lived in the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, a widely influential work of military strategy that has affected both Western and Eastern philosophy. Aside from his legacy as the author of The Art of War, Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and the Culture of Asia as a legendary historical figure. His birth name was Sun Wu, and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name Changqing. The name Sun Tzu by which he is best known in the West is an honorific which means “Master Sun“.

2. What is “The Art of War”?

Below is an excerpt from Wikipedia – The Art of War.

The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the Spring and Autumn period in 5th century BC. The work, which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu (“Master Sun”, also spelled Sunzi), is composed of 13 chapters. Each one is devoted to a distinct aspect of warfare and how that applies to military strategy and tactics. For almost 1,500 years it was the lead text in an anthology that would be formalised as the Seven Military Classics by Emperor Shenzong of Song in 1080. The Art of War remains the most influential strategy text in East Asia.[1] It has also had an influence on Eastern and Western military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy and beyond.

3. An excellent video on “The Art of War”

Please watch the excellent video at the end of the post. It not only is a good introduction to the “The Art of War”, but also artfully links it to several wars familiar to Americans, such as the American Civil War and the Vietnam War.

4. My publications on America and war

I am strongly anti-war. Below are five representative publications of mine:

1. Democratic Imperialism.
2. America: A Culture of War.
3. President Obama and War.
4. President Trump and War.
5. The Evil Military-Industrial Complex.

After watching the video below, you will hopefully better appreciate my entire school of thought, initially documented in my first book (Saving America, Chinese Style) and recently greatly enhanced in my third book (American Democracy).

5. Closing

Now, please sit back and enjoy the long (90 minutes) video.