The Bazaar of War

Against Abstraction: Military Theory and Clarity of Thought

It is difficult to appreciate just how much Western—especially American—military thinking is pervaded with abstraction.

Feb 13

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Interview on Saladin with Memory Medieval

I was recently a guest on the Memory Medieval podcast, talking about Saladin as part of his ongoing series on Richard the Lionheart.

Feb 9

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Triumph of the Byzantine System: The Arab-Byzantine Frontier Pt. 3

By the time of Byzantium's triumph in the 10th century, it had developed a systematic approach to campaigning which formalized methods from earlier…

Feb 1

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January 2026

Swarms, Packs, and Stigmergy: Animal Analogs for Drone Behavior

“Drone swarm” is a phrase that has come to be used indiscriminately to refer to the high number of drones on the modern battlefield.

Jan 22

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Looking for Lessons in Venezuela: The Future Combat Role of Helicopters

The 3 January operation to capture Nicolás Maduro is striking for its use of manned helicopters to execute a high-risk mission, despite the presence of…

Jan 15

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December 2025

Book Discussion on The Spartan Regime: Its Character, Origins, and Grand Strategy

Paul Rahe’s The Spartan Regime: Its Character, Origins, and Grand Strategy takes a unique angle on grand strategy.

Dec 31, 2025

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The Patterns of Operational Dynamics: A Brief Typology

One of my favorite themes with The Bazaar of War is how certain operational dynamics recur across vastly different times and places: comparing the…

Dec 21, 2025

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Economics vs. Decision: The Two Logics of Warfare

There is plenty of overlap between economics and warfare.

Dec 11, 2025

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The Birth of Byzantine Operational Art: The Arab-Byzantine Frontier, Part 2

The last piece on Arab-Byzantine warfare looked at strategy along the Anatolian frontier in the first century of the Islamic conquests. But as Byzantium…

Dec 3, 2025

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November 2025

Cyber Monday for Books

December is your last chance to get Saladin the Strategist and The Art of War in Italy, 1494-1529 at current prices.

Nov 30, 2025

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Entrenched Tactics and Comparative Advantage: An Economic View of Warfare

David Ricardo’s principle of comparative advantage is one of those ideas from economics that crosses over to many other domains.

Nov 16, 2025

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Domesticated Breeds: The Difficulties of Jointness

Nothing embodies the glamour of warfare—and the exasperation of generals—better than the cavalryman of old. Many a well-timed cavalry charge, carried…

Nov 10, 2025

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