The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire

Edward N. Luttwak examines how the Byzantine Empire repeatedly survived stronger enemies, territorial contraction and dramatic changes in the strategic environment. His central concern is not a catalogue of campaigns but the combination of diplomacy, intelligence, deterrence, military force and political manipulation through which Constantinople managed threats over many centuries.

The argument moves from the crisis posed by Attila's Huns to envoys, dynastic marriages, court prestige and military manuals such as the Strategikon. Luttwak asks why Byzantine rulers often sought to contain an enemy or turn rivals against one another rather than gamble everything on a decisive battle. His answer is a sweeping interpretation of imperial statecraft—one that has also drawn serious debate from Byzantine historians.