The Art of War
Thursday 12 April 2007 21:45-22:30 (Radio 3)
The Art of War, written by Sun Tzu in China in the 6th Century, is one of the oldest books in the world devoted to military strategy. Military leaders from Napoleon to General MacArthur have claimed to be influenced by it, and today a new generation of business leaders celebrate it as offering an unbeatable guide to managerial and entrepreneurial success.
In a landmark edition of Night Waves, Philip Dodd and guests explore why this Chinese classic has been inspiring leaders from the ancient world to contemporary Wall Street
Playlist
In the latest of Night Waves Landmarks series Philip Dodd is joined by an ex-diplomat financier, a military strategist and two Chinese historians to discuss perhaps the only book that could bring them together - Sun Tzu's The Art of War.
The 2,500 year old Chinese guide to strategic thinking is on the reading list of contemporary characters both real and imagined - from chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov, General Tommy Franks, and Brazilian football manager Luis Felipe Scolari to Mafiosi Tony Soprano and Wall Street monster Gordon Gekho.
Philip Dodd will be joined by historians Rana Mitter and Roel Sterckx, financier John MaClaren and Ex-Soldier and military strategist David Betz to discuss the continuing influence of one of the great books about strategic thinking in many spheres of contemporary life including the Iraq War, the stock market, and the tense and evolving diplomatic relations between China and the USA.
