Sun-Tzu’s beliefs led him to express in his book that strategy is vital in averting war. He justifies his statement about a commander in chief being able to avoid war by going to great lengths, by saying strategic pursuit is the moral act of those who know horrors of battle and seek to avoid them. Espionage, a strategy which is much frowned upon in today’s society, was a strategy equal to any other for Sun-Tzu, because, the most important thing is to avoid war at all costs, and one may go to great lengths to satisfy that. Through this chapter, Kaplan shows that, despite the existence of such literatures as “The Art of Warfare”, 20th century leaders like President Clinton and President Bush (senior) have not learnt the skills of avoiding war from the works of great historians.
Thucydides, like Sun-Tzu, was also a man of who lived through times of great wars and turned to writing. Born in 460 B.C., he was fairly close to the time of Sun-Tzu of China, and was an Athenian general who was later stripped of his title and banished due to the unsuccessful defending of Thrace. Since Thucydides lived through the Peloponnesian Wars, he had an extensive outlook on wars, and shared Sun-Tzu’s belief that war was an obstacle is life, and one must learn to be successful in it, at all cost.
In the latter half of this chapter, Kaplan describes the union of Athenian and Spartan allies that Thucydides recorded in his account of the Peloponnesian Wars. Thucydides, like Sun-Tzu, acknowledged the need to be successful in war no matter what, and that indeed accounts for the formation of allies, since alliances to Athens and Sparta were not forged due to loyalty, rather, it was due to disliking the other option more. As Kaplan organizes Thucydides’ accounts of the Peloponnesian allies and the Athenian allies and how they gained them, it yet again becomes evident that modern society has much to learn from historians of antiquity. In today’s society, alliance and acceptance is still gained by power and self-interest, as Kaplan shows by referring to the Peloponnesian Wars, and Thucydides’ depiction of the formations of allies, in his works.
Through the chapter, “Sun-Tzu and Thucydides”, Kaplan intends to show the importance of ancient literature and its significance for the future. Since the philosophies of both Sun-Tzu and Thucydides developed due to experiencing real battle, and its consequences, Kaplan clearly illustrates the pragmatic view of war, and its place in life.
