‘THE ART OF WAR’ ANALYSIS

'The first rule of Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club.' In much the same way the first rule of
The Art of War is that you don't talk about it. Sun Tzu advises, 'Let your plans be dark and impenetrable
as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.'

The Art of War has achieved mass cult status across a range of disciplines, and has become one of the
most influential texts on military strategy. Despite its age, The Art of War is as relevant today, as when it
was written over two thousand years ago.

The book juxtaposes two conflicting ideals: art and war. On the one hand, you have creation, and on
the other, you have destruction. However, Sun Tzu argues throughout his treatise that warfare is most
successful when you achieve victory without any fighting. Throughout, he provides subtle and nuanced
strategies to gain the upper hand, sometimes without your opponent even knowing about it. This takes
us back to making our plans "dark and impenetrable."

Sun Tzu is attributed with writing this ancient treatise in about the 5th century BC. It's become a military,
strategic and tactical classic, and has had a considerable influence on thinking in both the East and the
West. At the very least, a superficial reading of The Art of War will give one a vast insight into the
Chinese military and intelligence operations. If you level this up, one can begin to relate these insights
to modern warfare and become more informed on historical and contemporary global conflicts.
However, at its best, The Art of War is a metaphor for every situation that you encounter that contains
any element of conflict.

This summary will briefly take you through the core ideas from the thirteen chapters, and reveal that the
art of war isn't about aggression, but about being a master of knowledge.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

The decision to go to war should never be taken lightly, because it comes at a substantial social and
economic cost. Fighting and conflict are costly and time-consuming, and the advice is only to proceed if
it's absolutely essential. Sun Tzu advocates for non-violent strategies wherever possible, because war
can completely destroy a country and leave its people in ruin. Therefore, only wage war if you're
confident that you're prepared, and try to end the conflict as quickly as possible.

However, if one must proceed with war, one needs to do a series of calculations based on

• Moral Law - If we don't believe in what we're fighting for, there will be no motivation to put
ourselves at risk
• Heaven - Many battles have been lost because of insufficient knowledge of extreme weather
conditions.
• Earth - Earth accounts for the terrain on which you're fighting, and in contemporary times this
can be extended to the Internet and digital space.
• The Commander - If leadership is weak or ineffectual, then failure is imminent
• Method and Discipline - Discipline and method mean that everyone knows their role, and works
for the entire team's benefit.

Once we've understood the five factors, we need to ask questions and do a set of calculations to
determine our battle outcome.
 • Which side has more invested in their moral law?
• Which side has the better leader?
• Which side has more favorable conditions in terms of weather and terrain?
• Which side is more disciplined and more assertive?
• Which side is better trained and consistent?

Understanding the answers to these questions is pivotal in forecasting success or failure.

Moreover, Sun Tzu says that 'all warfare is based on deception.' The famous World War II adage,
'careless talk costs lives,' applies here, because knowledge is power. The idea is to seem unprepared,
pretend to be in a state of chaos, and ill-disciplined. Irritate your opponents, and in doing so, find out
where their weaknesses are. Appear to be resting when you're training, and never let on that you're in a
state of constant preparedness. Knowing yourself, knowing your opponent, and honestly and critically
evaluating yourself and others is the first step to winning.

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

One of the most iconic messages from the book, is to know your enemy. Sun Tzu explains, 'if you know
the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but
not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy, nor
yourself, you will succumb in every battle.'

Take for example the story of Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, and Bobby Murphy on Snapchat and
Poke scenario. Knowing your enemy is also about how to defeat them without destroying the thing that
you're fighting over. Frequently winning comes at a high cost, and it's better to recapture than to
destroy. So, choose your battles wisely.

KNOW YOUR BATTLES

Have you heard the old proverb, 'softly softly catchee monkey?'

Battle and warfare are about waiting patiently for opportunities to arise. Often, we win because our
opponent makes a mistake, so the idea is to defend until opportunity strikes. Sun Tzu says, 'security
against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.' What's
more, avoid the enemy's strengths, and look for their weaknesses instead.

The problem with these strategies is that they take a tremendous amount of energy and patience.
Furthermore, mounting an attack takes a vast amount of strength, discipline, and energy. The lesson
here is that winning results from (a) making the least number of mistakes, and (b) capitalizing on our
opponents' errors. Ultimately it all comes down to building momentum, and developing creative
strategies. Combining a range of strategies is paramount to victory, and here a good leader will be able
to tailor ideas to specific scenarios.

One also needs to be aware of who has the upper hand at any given moment. For example, those
waiting for the enemy, who are perhaps on home turf, are prepared and better positioned than those
arriving at the battle site. That's not to say that you can't win if you're not immediately in control of the
battle site, but rather that you need to be able to maneuver, adapt, and strategize.
KNOW YOUR FAULTS
Knowing your faults and weaknesses will allow you to vary and modify your tactics. One of the critical
pieces of wisdom here is that, 'the general who thoroughly understands the advantages that accompany
variation of tactics, knows how to handle his troops.' Being prepared for war means being in a
permanent state of readiness, and always having a series of plans to preempt an attack.

How often have you seen people lose things because of complacency? And, how often have you seen
victory snatched from the jaws of defeat? Knowing your weaknesses, and being prepared for disaster,
means that you'll always have a way to face catastrophes.

A good leader knows their weaknesses. According to him, leaders display five typical faults. These
are (a) recklessness, (b) cowardice, (c) being ill-tempered, (d) being sensitive about their honor, and (e)
being too caring, which causes undue worry and concern. So next time you react to a situation, think
about which of these attributes you're exhibiting.

KNOW YOUR TERRAIN

You can't go into battle if you don't know where you're fighting. Example is The Vietnam War by
controlling the Ho Chi Minh Trail, they could control military supplies and personnel's movement.

Having extensive knowledge about our environment allows us to act on the element of surprise, and
strike when our enemies are complacent or caught off guard. Sun Tzu explains, 'when the enemy is
close at hand and remains quiet, he is relying on the natural strength of his position.'

However, when your enemy is visible, look at their body language because what they're not saying is
important. Being aware of the battle terrain and weather patterns is absolutely pivotal. Sun Tzu explains
that 'if you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt;
if you know Heaven, and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.'

KNOWLEDGE IS PEOPLE
Knowledge is power, but having foreknowledge is even more powerful. So, how does one set about
learning information quicker than anyone else? The only way to obtain this type of knowledge is to use
spies, and here Sun Tzu differentiates between local spies, inward spies, converted spies, doomed
spies, and surviving spies. When one has a well-coordinated network of spies, this is referred to as a
"divine manipulation of the threads." And one should never underestimate its power.

During World War II, the divine manipulation of the threads was commonplace. Did you know that the
famous children's author Roald Dahl was a spy during the war? Dahl was sent to Washington D.C. after
being injured and was asked to feed information heard at prominent social events, back to British
Security Coordination.

Coordinating spies and embarking on espionage requires great subtlety. It's also worth remembering
that the other side may also use spies. In which case, the advice is to coax them out of hiding with
bribes so that they will be converted.
In Conclusion

Sun Tzu says that there are five ways to reach victory.

1. The first is knowing when to fight and when not to fight.

2. The second is that winning means understanding both inferior and superior forces.
3. The third thing to remember is that the winning army will have a sense of purpose and a
universal moral law to guide them.
4. The fourth aspect is acting on the element of surprise and attacking when it's least expected.
5. And finally, you'll win if you're guided by your unit, and not by exterior forces such as the
sovereign.

Victory evolves, and once you achieve it, you need to keep how you reached it secret. Furthermore,
you need to keep the enemy guessing because you'll never win the same way twice.

In a world heavily guided by social media and the Internet, it's worth taking a leaf out of Sun Tzu's book,
and focusing on the power of invisibility, unpredictability, surprise, and patience. Furthermore,
winning relies on everyone agreeing on the same ethos or belief system, and being committed to going
to war for it. So before you go to war, make sure your team is invested in the same endgame.

Most importantly, if you want to know your enemy, and have the upper hand, don't tell them that you've
read The Art of War.

ALL ABOUT SUN TZU

His birth name was Sun Wu and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name Changqing
Sun Tzu—by which he is more popularly known—is an honorific which means "Master Sun".

Sun Tzu (flourished 5th century BC) reputed author of the Chinese classic Bingfa (The Art of War), the
earliest known treatise on war and military science. Sun Tzu, a military strategist and general who
served the state of Wu near the end of the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC), is traditionally
considered the author of The Art of War, but the work is more likely to have been written early in the
Warring States period (475–221 BC), at a time when China was divided into six or seven states that
often resorted to war with each other in their struggles for supremacy, Zhao, Qi, Qin, Chu, Han, Wei,
and Yan—who fought to control the vast expanse of fertile territory in Eastern China.

The Art of War is a systematic guide to strategy and tactics for rulers and commanders. The book
discusses various maneuvers and the effect of terrain on the outcome of battles. It stresses the
importance of accurate information about the enemy’s forces, dispositions and deployments, and
movements. Mao Zedong and the Chinese communists took from The Art of War many of the tactics
they utilized in fighting the Japanese and, later, the Chinese Nationalists.

In order to test Sun Tzu's skills before hiring him, the King of Wu tasked him with training 180
concubines into soldiers. Sun Tzu divided them into two groups with the king's favorite concubines as
commanders. When the concubines initially laughed at his orders, Sun Tzu emphasized the general's
responsibility to ensure understanding. Despite the king's objections, Sun Tzu executed the favored
concubines, highlighting the importance of obedience. New officers were appointed, and the
reorganized companies performed flawlessly, having learned the consequences of frivolity.