The (not so) grand strategy of the Byzantine Empire

For decades, " Byzantine" has meant a kind of cryptic, odiously complex manner of going about a task. But universities and policy departments are now recovering the term, and so as a source of historical and cultural literacy in the modern Middle East and beyond, Byzantium is sexy again-and not a moment too soon. Edward N. Luttwak's The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire follows this consensus, emerging from decades of research into the history and legacy of the modern Middle East.