# Sun Tzu's Art of War **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 28, 2000, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-tzus-art-of-war/27251 "2000-07-28T18:48:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c37758/32.png) [@Peppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peppy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-tzus-art-of-war/27251/1 "2000-07-28T18:48:40Z")
Are there other other similar writings on war and tactics? I know of Clauswitz. Are there others? also. Is it true that the US military studies the writings of Sun Tzu? finally, in a 6 player game of RISK, who would win…Sun Tzu, Chuko Liang, Alex the Great, Genghis Khan, Hannibal or Julius Caesar? since a lot of it is due alliances and long term thinking, i’m going with julio! i think the other guys would be considered more as tactical generals. peppy!! ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-tzus-art-of-war/27251/2 "2000-07-28T20:04:07Z")
Tom Clancy has a couple of NF books that are similar, never read them so I couldn’t comment on them though. I don’t see why the US _wouldn’t_ study everything it could find. not only could you find some useful info to use against the enemy, but you could figure out what they where going to do next. Also Richard Marcinco (sp?) has some books but mostly on small op type stuff. as for the Risk I really don’t know. but I would vote no against Khan because IMO he just kinda seems to just plunder and kill which is good for awhile, but I don’t see him getting far. Alex had too many problems with his men when he tried to push too much so that maybe a problem too. should have included Rommel though, that would make it intersting! ---
**Author:** ![tcburnett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@tcburnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcburnett)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-tzus-art-of-war/27251/3 "2000-07-28T20:26:47Z")
Every General who ever won a battle wrote a book. A good place to start for an overview of everything from the Great Persian War (490 bce) to 1954 is covered, at least briefly, in ‘Strategy’ by B.H. Liddell Hart. He has been referred to as ‘The Clausewitz of the 20th century’. I don’t know anything about ‘Risk’ the game, but I’m surprised you didn’t list Napolean and Belisarius in addition to Caesar. Sun Tzu was not a General. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-tzus-art-of-war/27251/4 "2000-07-28T20:41:14Z")
And what about Machiavelli? ---
**Author:** ![tcburnett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@tcburnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcburnett)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-tzus-art-of-war/27251/5 "2000-07-28T21:37:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Ryan \* > \*\*And what about Machiavelli? \*\* He did write a good tome or two. I left him out on purpose because (in my finite wisdom)I see him more as a plotter than a general. But I’m wrong. He should have been listed. ---
**Author:** ![MinkMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minkman/32/19170_2.png) [@MinkMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MinkMan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-tzus-art-of-war/27251/6 "2000-07-28T22:03:44Z")
Each of the Joint Chiefs publishes a recommended reading list for military professionals in thier branch of the service. The Chairman of the JCS also has his own list. Here are some links. You will find several excellent books on strategy and tactics, as well a some great histories and books on diplomacy and geopolitics. The books mentioned by Sun Tzu, Clausewitz and Machiavelli are on several of the lists: [ul] [li][US Army](http://www-cgsc.army.mil/csi/pubs/preface.htm)[/li][li][US Air Force](http://militaryinfo.hypermart.net/af-prof-reading.htm)[/li][li][US Marine Corps](http://militaryinfo.hypermart.net/mc-prof-reading2.htm)[/li][li][US Navy](http://militaryinfo.hypermart.net/cno-prof-reading.htm)[/li][li][Chairman of JCS](http://militaryinfo.hypermart.net/cjcs-prof-reading.htm)[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![silent\_rob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@silent\_rob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silent_rob)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-tzus-art-of-war/27251/7 "2000-07-29T09:29:50Z")
Yeah, Machiavelli would have to be included. While most would not him for _The Prince_, which is more on running a country or how a Prince should act, his _The Art of War_, same title, different book, was a favourite of Frederick the Great, Napoleon _and_ Clausewitz. Also, he wrote many other books that would also be helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Osakadave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f07891/32.png) [@Osakadave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osakadave)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-tzus-art-of-war/27251/8 "2000-07-29T11:25:42Z")
Sounding in with a resounding yes for Machiavelli. I’ll add Miyamoto Musashi’s “Book of Five Rings”. While superficially written about man to man sword fighting, it includes strategic thinking as well. As Musashi says “The Way of battles is the same for man to man fights and for ten thousand a side battles.” ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-tzus-art-of-war/27251/9 "2000-07-29T15:12:11Z")
While I do not contend with the specific selections here, one might be best served to attend to the reading list most revered by ones adversaries. If I could peek into the tent of the opposing general only once, I would look at his bookshelf before looking at his map table. Tris