Wez G Music

Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui are from a new generation of Chinese People’s Liberation Army soldiers. They have mused upon the situation of modern military affairs and developed this theoretical book on war to describe the status quo as it was around the turn of the Millenium. The book is a translation of the original Mandarin Chinese and on occasion the translation, especially due to cultural references can be a little difficult to successfully grasp. The dominance of the USA in terms of a modern technologically savvy military that is the most powerful in the world is the theme of this book and I can imagine that in terms of theory it would be a very useful strategic read to any potential advocates of the US Military. America with its technological prowess is redefining modern warfare and a general theme that runs through the book is that whereas America often introduces new tech and ideas to military actions, often it fails to fully capitalise on its dominance and although the book was written prior to 9/11 and the war on Terror, I think it does show a glimpse of these future conflicts through its careful studied analysis. The authors draw on plenty of famous historical figures and events from the past in a variety of cultures to give examples of how their philosophy has developed – King Wu, Don Quixote, Alexander the Great. There is a close focus on American actions in the first Gulf War which seemingly holds the authors in awe as a new paradigm shift in modern military tactics has been produced. The range of theories cover not just pure military actions but also economic warfare that is a sign of the modern world. The book is a very good analysis of the key factors that shape military victory and details the full scope of possibilities. I think it’s otherness in coming from China leads a certain exotic and outside the box perspective to readers who may be used to more standard military analyses from the West. I enjoyed the book and although it’s quite dated now and much has changed since it was written, I do believe that it is relevant to military theorists and should happily sit on the bookshelves alongside Sun Tzu and Clausewitz.