In the end, both Sun Tzu’s The Art of War and Clausewitz’s On War provide invaluable insight into the nature of warfare and strategy and rightfully belong on the bookshelf of any policymaker or strategist. Nevertheless, one must understand the two seminal works differ significantly in medium, context, methodology, and intended audience. The Art of War, written on thin bamboo strips, is designed as a manual of sorts for the battlefield commander, comprising only thirteen short chapters. Produced in ancient China, The Art of War valued deception and manipulation in an era that lacked industrialized military forces. In contrast, On War is a rigorous dialectic examination of absolute war in an effort to determine the nature of limited warfare in reality, which was heavily influenced by Clausewitz’s own experiences in the Napoleonic wars. Each has its place in the greater security literature. However, in an era where nuclear deterrence exists and large scale industrial warfare is vilified, it may be time for policymakers and strategists to dust off their copy of The Art of War and add new tools to the policy toolkit. Therefore, policymakers should seek to widen their perspectives—seeking to incorporate more voices in how to craft and execute strategy in modern times. Ultimately, the fact remains:

“The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.”

Sebastian J. Bae is a contributor to Best Defense at Foreign Policy and served six years in the Marine Corps infantry, leaving as a Sergeant. He deployed to Iraq in 2009. He earned a Masters in Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program, specializing in violent non-state actors, counterinsurgency, and humanitarian interventions. You can follow him on Twitter: @SebastianBae. This article first appeared in the Bridge.

Image: Wikimedia Commons/VOA.