''The 33 Strategies of War'' was written by American author Robert Greene in 2006. It is composed of discussions and examples of offensive and defensive

strategies Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the " ar ...

from a wide variety of people and conditions, applying them to social conflicts such as family quarrels and business negotiations.

Reception

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' said Greene has set himself up as "a modern-day Machiavelli" but that "it is never clear whether he really believes what he writes or whether it is just his shtick, an instrument of his will to shift £20 hardbacks" and concludes "There is something less than adult about it all." Admiral

James G. Stavridis James George Stavridis (born February 15, 1955) is a retired United States Navy admiral, currently Vice Chair, Global Affairs and Managing Director of the global investment firm the Carlyle Group, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rocke ...

said the book had good breadth, but it lacked depth. Leadership theorist and author

John Adair John Adair (January 9, 1757 – May 19, 1840) was an American pioneer, slave trader, soldier, and politician. He was the eighth Governor of Kentucky and represented the state in both the U.S. House and Senate. A native of South Carolina, Ada ...

said Greene "shows a poor grasp of the subject" and the book is based on the flawed "assumption that the art of military strategy and the art of living are comparable".alternative URL
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Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

said the book was repetitive, lacked a sense of humor, and had an annoying "quasi-spiritual tone".

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player

Chris Bosh Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. A Texas Mr. Basketball in high school, he played one season of college basketball for Georgia Tech before declaring for the 2003 NBA draft. Bos ...

stated that his favorite book is ''The 33 Strategies of War''.Tice, Carol
All’s Fair?
''Entrepreneur''. November 1, 2006. ''The 33 Strategies of War'' was part of the reading list for youths attending the Indigenous Leadership Forum organised by the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

, which aimed to redesign radical

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

politics and the

Indigenist Indigenism can refer to several different ideologies that seek to promote the interests of indigenous peoples. The term is used differently by various scholars and activists, and can be used purely descriptively or carry political connotations. D ...

movement. It is also read by students attending a

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is a Baptist theological institute in Fort Worth, Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. It was established in 1908 and is one of the largest seminaries in the world. It i ...

course in Christian

apologetics Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and ...

. The book has been banned by several US prisons. In the book Greene writes that "

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

was rich in natural gas and other minerals and had ports on the Indian Ocean": Afghanistan is land-locked. (Trade to and from Afghanistan uses ports in other countries, such as

Chabahar Port Chabahar Port ( fa, بندر چابهار) is a seaport in Chabahar located in southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman. It serves as Iran's only oceanic port, and consists of two separate ports named ''Shahid Kalantari'' and ''Shahid Beheshti'', ...

in Iran.) The political tales in the book are said to be "mostly foolish or just plain wrong". The book has been described by reviewers as having "far too many duff sentences", such: "Your goal is to blend philosophy and war, wisdom and battle, into an unbeatable blend."Greene, ''The 33 Strategies of War'', preface, pXX. It has sold more than 200,000 copies.Robert Greene Interview, Part 1
''Power Seduction and War''. July 7, 2006.

References

External links

''33 Strategies of War''
interview featuring Robert Greene {{DEFAULTSORT:33 Strategies Of War, The 2006 non-fiction books Self-help books Books by Robert Greene (American author)

Reception

See also

References

External links