>
> That's funny, I last remember seeing/hearing from Luttwak on C-Span in the early 90's,
> when, from a neo-conservative/"national greatness" Republican perspective, bemoaning
> the shabby state of US infrastructure (Kennedy Airport in particular), and advocating
> public works investment. I guess it's use the state to bomb their stuff, and to rebuild ours...
He recently came out with a big book on the Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire, the gist of which is, according to the LRB, ally with your old enemies, buy off your new enemies, and use force when those options don't work. As opposed to the old Roman strategy, which the Byzantines couldn't afford, of putting a perimeter around your civilisation and permanently manning it.
Mike Beggs