Art Of War By Suntzu and Other Military Treatises

[Oldposts]

The BEST military treatise and earliest western, is On Cavalry Commander (Ipparhikos) by Xenophon. It is NOT a history with strategisist's input, as Thucidydes' work and it goes far beyond caVAlry matters, though viwed by thwe aspect of the Cavalry commander. Circa 360 BC. A "novelish"-fictious treatise is Kyropedia, of the same author

[Oldposts]

There was another Chinese general called 'Sun Pin'.

He was an ancestor of Sun Tzu.

One of his tactics was applied by Mao Tse Tung during one of his campaigns.

[Oldposts]

There is another Chinese book called, 'Secret Art of War - The 36 Strategems'.

This was compiled about 400 years ago by an unknown author. During the end part of the Ming period.

But it was from older works.

That work must have been around at least 1500 years ago.

It was published in 1941 by the Xinghua Printing House in Chengdu, Sichuan.

The uniqueness about the Secret War lies in the fact that emphasise a lot on deception as an important military art.

It deals more with deception, sabotage, subterfuge, hidden tactics, etc.

If you any of you is interested, let me know.

I will put up a summarised review about that book.

Otherwise I can do something else more useful.

[Oldposts]

It make worthwhile effort to read various campaigns which have been carried out in the course of history.

Alexander's personal historian Arrian has recorded many of the campains.

The Battle of Hydaspes is graphically described.

How with a mere meagre force of 6000, he was able to tilt the balance and beat Porus's army of 30000 together with 200 war elephants.

Then there is the Battle of Tarain which has been described by the dairiyist if Mohammed of Ghaur.

We also have details about the Afgan-Maratha War and the Battle of Talikota.

They make very absorbing reading.

[Oldposts]

Read as -
'diariyist of Mohammed of Ghaur'.

[Oldposts]

"Machiavelli and Management" is a book by 'Anthony Jay', which purports to describe how a corporate management is in reality an exercise of Machiavellian royal/military strategies and tactics/intrigues, with no holds barred, no honesty in the ultimate sense, where conquest of rivals and enemies in the pursuit of power (getting to the top thru maneuvers)admits of only ends as of sense, and not the morality or ethics of the methods employed for attaining the objecives. Have you exec guys read that one? I did, buying it for just Rs.15 a decade ago while in India. In war, ends justify means, though post facto explanations are contrived by the brainy advisers to show that "fair" methods were only adopted. Any activity on the mundane plane, in the final analysis,can be argued as just disguised means - "counterfuges and camouflages" -of improving one's own self interests, not just the military activity!

[Oldposts]

It is actually 'Management and Machiavelli' -
'An inquiry into the Politics of Corporate Life'.
Authour is Anthony Jay. He was in fact a retired executive producer for the BBC.
Later on, he went free-lance with his own consultant firm.

It is advisable to get the original 'Prince' and the other book by Machiavelli, before reading this one.

[Oldposts]

Folks, there is a new translation of Chanakya's Arthasastra by Prof L N Rangarajan - currently at Lancaster University, UK and served as India's Ambassador to Norway and other countries. It is a superb translation.

It is published by Penguin India. http://www.penguinindia.com - I guess it comes to about $10 including postage.

Here are some excerpts:

http://us.rediff.com/news/2003/jun/20rajeev.htm

[Oldposts]

dear friends where can I find the details of the Battle of Tarain which has been described by the dairiyist of Mohammed of Ghaur. Please give me a mail

sujoy_personal@yahoo.co.in
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[Surya]

Was "The Art of War" made into a movie with Weley Snipes, also called The Art of War?