Between Reflection and Confrontation: The Art of War as a Theoretical Lens for 21st-Century Military Strategy

Abstract

This research adopts the tenets of The Art of War as its conceptual analytical framework, understanding Sun Tzu’s work as a classical cornerstone of strategic rationality whose insights enable the interpretation of twenty-first-century warfare dynamics. Through a theoretical-interpretative approach, the study examines how the principles of anticipation, knowledge of the adversary, adaptability, and economy of means contribute to explaining the rationality —and at times irrationality— underpinning contemporary military strategies. In this regard, the study proposes rethinking strategy not as a mere instrument of confrontation, but as a practice rooted in reflection and balance within an international system marked by interdependence, uncertainty, and global (dis)order.