Edward N Luttwak on 'The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire'

08 Feb 2010

Speakers: Edward Luttwak

Edward N. Luttwak talks to Harry Kreisler about his book The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire (2009). He describes how the title itself aroused a lot of interest, and states that the generosity of other Byzantine historians is reflective of the success of the field.

Luttwak explores the meaning of strategy, highlighting its bureaucratic face as well as its contradictory nature: intelligence, diplomacy and war all live in the world of paradox. He discusses the Byzantine identity, which gave its citizens a great moral strength, but also notes their military prowess and intelligent strategy, all of which account for the eight hundred year survival of Byzantium. He points to certain links with Rome – particularly in military training – but makes other contrasts with respect to strategy.

While Luttwak concedes it is difficult to compare the history of Byzantium with the present state of international relations, he does make some astute observations about US foreign policy in Afghanistan, and asks whether the Byzantines would have adopted a different approach.

Thank you to the University of California Television for making this video available.

Edward Luttwak

Historian and military strategist. Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC, and of the F&M Institute of the Japan Ministry of Finance.