Pericles of Athens and Archidamus of Sparta devised net assessments that both believed would provide strategies that would bring victory and peace for their respective states. This essay will show that Archidamus did a better job of net assessment prior to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. A clear definition and understanding of net assessment is necessary. Prof Thomas Mahnken of the Naval War College, provided the following definition: "Net assessment is a process that …showed first 75 words of 2460 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2460 total…by Pericles and Archidamus in their famous speeches in 432 BC. The friction of war, chance, unpredictable events and many other factors requires leaders to conduct constant re-assessment to seek out the comparative advantage in order to constantly update their understanding of the nature of the war. After 27 years of on and off fighting the great Peloponnesian War ended with the weaker state with the great land army defeating the stronger state with a superior navy.