[Editor's note: This is a continuation of a series of eight articles that began in the Spring 1997 Movement Issue of the Zine. If you haven't already read the earlier articles, you can find them here]

While perusing the on-line strategy articles, I could not help but notice that there were no less than three articles applying Sun-Tzu's Art of War to Diplomacy, but there was a distinct lack of Clausewitz's teachings on the subject. I thought this a bit odd, since Clausewitz's On War is generally considered to be the most conclusive and influential work ever written on the subject of armed conflict. This is not to say that Sun-Tzu does not have his uses - for one thing, he is highly quotable, and thus is very popular with people seeking pithy phrases to throw about. Clausewitz's importance, on the other hand, arises from the very fact that his analysis is too detailed and complete to be reduced to simple sequence of rules or principles. Keeping this in mind, I have decided to compile a series of eight articles, each focusing on one book of On War, which will seek to apply Clausewitz's analysis to the art of war in Diplomacy.

Joseph Wheeler (corwin@wam.umd.edu)

If you wish to e-mail feedback on this article to the author, click on the letter above. If that does not work, feel free to use the "Dear DP..." mail interface.