The Art of War - Debate Paper

The Art of War - Debate Paper

Opening Statement - Pro

The Art of War is a legendary book written on military strategy by Chinese author Sun Tzu. It has thirteen chapters, each devoted to a specific aspect of warfare. Even today, it is read for military insights. “If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperilled in a hundred battles... if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperilled in every single battle.” (Mair, 2007). The basic concept of the book is that before entering into war or attacking an enemy, the attacker should have every detail mapped out and every alternative covered. It is not necessary to attack with full force. What is important is to ensure that every detail of the enemy is known, so that the enemy could be destroyed from within. Even today, leaders from different fields use the tactics proposed by Sun Tzu in their own professions to gain victory over their competitors. Bill Belichik, the famous football coach of the New England Patriots team uses strategies from the Art Of War in his gameplays and as a result, his team has won three Superbowls since his joining in the year 2000.

Cross-Questioning - Cons

The strategies in this book were proposed centuries ago. How does it cover the technological changes that the world has undergone?

Kingdoms in that era fought for honor, the same do not apply to governments today. Justify?

How does the book propose to overcome the defensive measures put up by governments?

How does the book relate to the time factor that differs today and in the past?

Considering the dynamic nature of operations today, how does the book apply to strategies today without the proper time factor?

What about government that cannot strike hard, how does the book help such when it clearly says that strike hard if needed?

The book does not propose a course of action incase the enemy also has detailed intelligence of the attacker. Justify

How does Sun Tzu propose that a loophole in the planning should be tackled if it is realized after the attack is launched?

Using spies to gain information is not so easy considering the restrictions in place today. How does Sun Tzu propose validation of the intelligence acquired?

In case the stance of the enemy changes by the time an attack ...