The Rabbi

Coming late to life, it's taken 60 years for me to encounter Sun Tzu, although casual knowledge goes back several decades. It was worth the wait just to read Huynh's annotations. Would that those who decided that the US should invade Iraq, had read and followed the dictomena of Sun Tzu: (1) count the cost of keeping the nation intact since destruction was never in the plan and (2) there was hardly "way" or unity of purpose in the invasion--unless one considers the force of Bush's personality as unity.

More broadly on this point, how does any organization conceive of success without ensuring the ownership of the plan by those who will have the responsibility of carrying out that very strategy? Sun Tzu argues to hold the advance until unity is achieved.

On doing battle, the advice is simple, why fight unless victory is guaranteed, and it may be assured with sound planning and accurate calculations based upon thorough reconnaissance prior to committing one's forces.