In the midst of the protracted conflict between Russia and Ukraine, a significant diplomatic achievement was realized in July 2022: the Black Sea grain deal. This accord, meticulously brokered by the Trkiye and the United Nations, facilitated the export of commercial food and fertilizers from three pivotal Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea Odessa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi.

This agreement was not merely a testament to the efficacy of diplomatic negotiations, but also a crucial intervention in the global food market, which had been severely impacted by the ongoing conflict. By ensuring the export of grain and fertilizers, the agreement offered a potential solution to the escalating food insecurity crisis, exacerbated by the persistent hostilities.

However, this diplomatic triumph was ephemeral. In 2023, the Russian Federation unilaterally decided to terminate the agreement. This abrupt cessation of the Black Sea grain deal had far-reaching implications that extended beyond the immediate geographical confines of Ukraine and Russia. The termination of the agreement disrupted the precarious equilibrium that had been established and had a profound impact on the global food market. The reverberations of this decision continue to be felt, underscoring the intricate and complex interplay between geopolitics and global food security.

The Black Sea Grain Deal: A Brief Overview

The Black Sea grain deal, conceived as a strategic initiative, was a meticulously designed solution to a complex problem. It aimed to ensure the export of Ukrainian grain via the Istanbul Strait, a critical waterway connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. This initiative was necessitated by the limitations and logistical challenges associated with alternative methods of transport. Road or rail transport through Poland, or canal and river transport through Romania, were deemed less efficient and more susceptible to the vagaries of the ongoing conflict.

The deal was a remarkable testament to the diplomatic prowess of Trkiye, the United Nations, and the Russian Federation. It was a beacon of hope in a landscape marred by conflict, promising to alleviate the escalating food insecurity that had been exacerbated by the ongoing hostilities.

The agreement facilitated the export of food and fertilizers from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea: Odessa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi. In a display of intricate planning and coordination, ships were guided into the international waters of the Black Sea, skillfully avoiding areas that had been mined. This ensured the safe passage of these vessels, carrying their precious cargo to markets beyond the immediate conf...

By Ahmed Adel | July 25, 2023

The West knew that Kiev did not have enough weapons for a successful counteroffensive but hoped that the courage and resourcefulness of Ukrainian soldiers would compensate for this deficit, reported The Wall Street Journal. Obviously, those hopes did not materialise as one cannot win a battle based on courage and resourcefulness.

When Ukraine launched its big counteroffensive this spring, Western military officials knew Kyiv didnt have all the training or weaponsfrom shells to warplanesthat it needed to dislodge Russian forces. But they hoped Ukrainian courage and resourcefulness would carry the day. They havent, reported the newspaper.

Deep and deadly minefields, extensive fortifications and Russian air power have combined to largely block significant advances by Ukrainian troops. Instead, the campaign risks descending into a stalemate with the potential to burn through lives and equipment without a major shift in momentum, added the Wall Street Journal.

According to the newspaper, the offensive risks a stalemate. It will cost Ukraine lives and equipment without significant progress. The publication also notes that there are not enough reserves in Europe to provide Kiev with everything necessary.

Moreover, according to Western diplomats, European leaders are unlikely to opt for a significant increase in aid to Ukraine if they feel a lack of enthusiasm on the part of the US, which in turn is preparing for the presidential election.

The Ukrainian offensive began on June 4 and has experienced catastrophy. But since the beginning of the special military operation in February 2022, Ukraine has lost 457 warplanes, 243 helicopters, 5,236 unmanned aerial vehicles, 426 air defence missile systems, 10,868 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,139 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS, 5,585 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 11,860 special military motor vehicles.

This catastrophic loss of military equipment demonstrates the complete failure of the Ukrainian offensive and is why more questions are being raised in Western countries about why support is still being provided when it is evidently making no difference in Ukraines fortunes.

In fact, it begs the question as to why the counteroffensive was ever launched to begin with.

As renowned political scientist Max Abrahms highlighted in a tweet, the White House boasted in May that Ukraine has everything necessary for a counteroffensive. This is a far cry from the recent revelation that the West believed that the courage and resourcefulness of Ukrainian soldiers would compensate...

By Lucas Leiroz | July 24, 2023

Cluster munitions have already begun to generate civilian casualties in the Ukrainian conflict. Russian journalists were attacked with illegal US-supplied weapons, resulting in the injury of three people and the death of RIA Novostis war correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlev. Once again, the Kiev regime shows its terrorist nature, also having NATOs co-participation in the crimes, as the alliance is responsible for supplying the weapons used in the murder of Russian civilians.

The attack took place in the Zaporozhye region. A civilian vehicle with journalists inside was hit by cluster bombs, injuring all the reporters, and killing Zhuravlev. According to information given by spokespersons for the Rossiya Segodnya group, the media crew was near the village of Pyatikhatki when it came under fire from Ukrainian forces. It is believed that they were in that area precisely to report the use of cluster munitions in some nearby residential zones.

Considering that it was not a military convoy, but just a civilian vehicle with journalists, the attack was illegal, contrary to basic rules of international humanitarian law. For this reason, Russian authorities have already commented on the case, classifying it as terrorism. It is w...

By Uriel Araujo | July 24, 2023

While Western discussions have focused on sending sophisticated weapons to Kiev, Hal Brands, a Henry Kissinger Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, argues that what Ukraine needs the most, besides air-defense systems, is artillery ammunition. He describes the current conflict as an artillery-centric one: if Kiev cant find enough artillery pieces and ammunition, especially 155mm shells, it will be at a dire firepower deficit along the conflicts front lines.

Already on March 29, Earle Mack, former US ambassador to Finland, writing in a piece for The Hill, described the current confrontation as proxy attrition warfare, that is one which seeks military victory by wearing down the enemy. He worried that Ukraine seemed bound to tire out first. Things have not gotten much better for Kiev, so far.

A July 23 New York Times story, by former Marine infantryman Thomas Gibbons-Neff, based on dozens of visits to the front line quotes a Ukrainian commander: were trading our people for their people and they have more people and equipment. According to the story, Ukraine has made marginal progress in its ability to coordinate directly between its troops closest to Russian forces on the so-called zero line and those assaulting forward. Moreover, the countrys artillery is in short supply, and a mixture of munitions sent from different countries is employed. The thing is that accuracy varies greatly between them and the Ukrainians need to use more ammunition. In addition, according to the same news report, some of the older shells and rockets sent from abroad are damaging their equipment and injuring soldiers. 

Rather than using the complex military communication equipment, Ukraines troops employ less sophisticated, but easier-to-use programs like smartphone messaging apps, private internet chat rooms. Most of this system is dependent on Starlink satellite internet, and therefore it takes longer to communicate important military info...

On the past 24^th of June, the Wagner Group, the infamous Russian private military company headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, ventured in an ultimately unsuccessful mutiny against the government of President Vladimir Putin. The uprising immediately made the global headlines and came as a shock to both the general public opinion and experienced analysts alike. It is indeed one of those occurrences that is virtually impossible to predict, especially given the secretive nature of the power dynamics behind the Kremlins walls. But as soon as it broke out, the crisis sparked intense speculations on the reasons of the mutiny and its consequences for Putins tenure to power, for Russias stability and cohesion as a state, and for the war in Ukraine. Today, one month after the failure of the short-lived rebellion, it is possible to provide a more detached analysis of its repercussions.

While the specifics vary considerably also due to the many contradictions of that day almost all analysts agreed on one fundamental point: The mutiny was a clear signal of the fragility of Putins power apparatus, and likely the first falling tile triggering a domino chain that would ultimately result in his downfall, a (pro-democracy) regime change in Moscow, or even to the dissolution of Russia as a unified polity; which, in turn, would lead to Ukraines victory.

However, I disagree with this interpretation. On the contrary, I believe the event shows that Putins power system and Russia as a state are actually resilient. What underlies my conclusion is that, rather than focusing on wat has happened, we should concentrate on what did not.

Surely, the rebellion showed that there are cracks within Putins system, an unintended result of his divide et impera policies, combined with months of mounting rivalries between the Wagner Group and the regular military, exacerbated by the lingering war in Ukraine. Still, one month after the events, Putin remains in power, Russia is still a unified state, and the fighting in Ukraine continues with no foreseeable end in sight. Putins apparatus had to face a largely unexpected crisis, sustained the blow, and has so far managed to survive. This is almost a handbook example of resiliency. Quite literally at the end of the day, no top military or government official decided to switch sides and support Prigozhin in contrast to what he had likely expected or at least hoped.

Here, I will open a brief digression on his possible motives. Many regarded his actions as an attempted coup to oust Putin and seize power. Some even drew parallels with precedent cases in Russias history like the 1991 coup against Gorbachev, or the 1917 Revolution and saw it as a prelude to the imminent collapse of Russias central government. But in my opinion, such historical analogies are oversimplistic and likely misleading. Prigozhin was neither an old guard military officer determined to defend t...

Chinese drills near the Taiwan Strait. Click to enlarge

Michael Hudson The Unz Review July 22, 2023

The July NATO summit in Vilnius had the feeling of a funeral, as if they had just lost a family member Ukraine. To clear away NATOs failure to drive Russia out of Ukraine and move NATO right up to the Russian border, its members tried to revive their spirits by mobilizing support for the next great fight against China, which is now designated as their ultimate strategic enemy. To prepare for this showdown, NATO announced a commitment to extend their military presence all the way to the Pacific.

The plan is to carve away Chinas military allies and trading partners, above all Russia, starting with the fight in Ukraine. President Biden has said that this war will be global in scope and will take many decades as it expands to ultimately isolate and break up China.

The U.S.-imposed sanctions against trade with Russia are a dress rehearsal for imposing similar sanctions against China. But only the NATO allies have joined the fight. And instead of wrecking Russias economy and turning the ruble to rubble as President Biden predicted, NATOs sanctions have made it more self-reliant, increasing its balance of payments and international monetary reserves, and hence the rubles exchange rate.

To cap matters, despite the failure of trade and financial sanctions to injure Russia and indeed, despite NATOs failures in Afghanistan and Libya, NATO countries committed themselves to trying the same tactics against China. The world economy is to be split between US/NATO/Five Eyes on the one hand, and the rest of the world the Global Majority on the other. EU Commissioner Joseph Borrell calls this as a split between the US/European Garden (the Golden Billion) and the Jungle threatening to engulf it, like an invasion of its well-manicured lawns by an invasive species.

From an economic vantage point, NATOs behavior since its military buildup to attack Ukraines Russian-speaking eastern states in February 2022 has been a drastic failure. The U.S. plan was to bleed Russia and leave it so economically destitute that its population would revolt, throw Vladimir Putin out of office and restore a pro-Western neoliberal leader who would pry Russia away from its alliance with China and then proceed with Americas grand plan to mobilize Europe to impose sanctions on China.

What makes it so difficult in trying to evaluate where NATO, Europe and the United States are going is that the traditional assumption that nations and classes will act in their economic self-interest is not of help. The traditional logic of geopolitical analysis is to assume that business and financial interests steer almost every nations politics. The ancillary assumption is that governing officials have a fairly realistic understanding of the economic and politica...

• Russia is threatening the Suwalki corridor strategically important land
• Putin parliamentarian Andrey Kartapolov announced the threat on state TV
• However Polands intelligence service insists it is monitoring the Wagner threat

Will Stewart, Eleanor Dye and Hannah McDonald Daily Mail July 16, 2023

The Suwalki Corridor. Click to enlarge

Russia is threatening to use its Wagner mercenary army to invade NATOs weakest link a key strategic strip of land straddling the border between Poland and Lithuania, one of Putins cronies has revealed.

A top Putin parliamentarian revealed on Russian state television that mercenary forces were ready to march on the sought-after territory in a matter of hours, in a move that could trigger World War Three.

The 60-mile Suwalki Corridor or Gap that spans from north west Belarus to the southeastern border of Russias Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad has massive strategic importance for NATO and the EU as well as Moscow.

For the West, it is the only land link to the three ex-Soviet Baltic republics Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia which are seen as vulnerable to Putin if the current east-west tension worsens.

For Russia, control of the corridor would give a land link Kaliningrad, the main base of Putins Baltic Fleet, and firm Kremlin ally Belarus.

Reservist Col-Gen Andrey Kartapolov, now an MP who is the loyalist chairman of the Russian parliaments defence committee, told state TV: It is clear that Wagner [mercenary army] went to Belarus to train the Belarusian armed forces

[But] not only, and not so much. There is such a place as the Suwalki Corridor.

Should anything happen, we need this Suwalki Corridor very much

A strike force [based in Wagner forces in Belarus] is ready to take this corridor in a matter of hours.

His shock fist land grab plan would hit sparsely populated territory which has been labelled NATOs Achilles heel or soft underbelly.

Because it could...

AFP July 24, 2023

Russia said it had neutralised two Ukrainian drones over Moscow in the early hours of Monday, with one crashing close to the defence ministry in the city centre.

Officials said the drones hit non-residential buildings in the capital and that there were no casualties. The attack came one day after Kyiv vowed to retaliate for a Russian missile attack on the Black Sea port of Odesa.

A Kyiv regime attempt to carry out a terrorist act using two drones on objects on the territory of the city of Moscow was stopped, Russias defence ministry said. Two Ukrainian drones were suppressed and crashed. There are no casualties.

The Tass news agency reported one drone crashed in Komsomolsky Prospekt, near the defence ministry, while another hit a business centre on Likhacheva Street by one of Moscows main ring roads.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the drone strikes occurred at around 4am local time. He said emergency services were working at the scene and also reported no casualties.

The RIA Novosti news agency posted a video of the business centre, with some damage visible to the top of the tall building. The road around it was closed.

Moscow and its environs lie about 500km (310 miles) from the Ukrainian border but have been hit by several drone attacks this year, with one even hitting the Kremlin in May.

Earlier this month, Russia said it had downed five Ukrainian drones that disrupted the functioning of Moscows Vnukovo international airport.

Russian forces have pounded the Ukrainian port city of Odesa since Moscow quit a deal allowing Ukrainian grain to be exported through the Black Sea last week. The latest strike on the city on Sunday killed two people and severely damaged a historic cathedral.

Clergymen rescued icons from rubble inside the badly damaged Transfiguration cathedral, which was demolished under Stalin in 1936 and rebuilt in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The Ukrainian government condemned the cathedral strike as a war crime, saying it had been destroyed twice: by Stalin and Putin.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed retaliation: They will definitely feel this, he said. We cannot allow people around the world to get used to terrorist attacks, Zelensky added in his evening speech late on Sunday.

The target of all these missiles is not just cities, villages or people. Their target is humanity and the foundations of...

President Biden trips on the stairs of Air Force One

Jim Hoft The Gateway Pundit July 23, 2023

On Tuesday the House Oversight Committee released a 14-year timeline of the Biden Crime Familys influence peddling and selling out America to foreign regimes including Communist China.

The Oversight Committee is likely just scratching the surface of the criminal actions by Joe Biden, his son Hunter, and the extended Biden family.

The Biden family was selling out America to Ukraine, Romania, and Communist China.

There is plenty of proof.

On Wednesday IRS Whistleblower Joseph Ziegler confirmed in sworn testimony to Congress that the Biden Family received approximately $17 million in bribes from China, Romania, and other countries in exchange for political favors.

BIDEN CRIME FAMILY CAUGHT! IRS Whistleblower Gay, Democrat, Joseph Ziegler Confirms that Biden Family Received Approximately $17 Million in Payments from China, Romania and Other Countries (VIDEO)

The U.S. government has long tolerated and excused Ukraines authoritarian behavior even as Washington and its NATO partners have lavished financial and military aid on Kyiv. Evidence has now emerged, though, that the US national security apparatus has actively assisted Volodymr Zelenskys regime to undermine the Constitutional rights of Americans. CNN notes damning revelations in Continue reading "FBI Serves as a Conduit for Ukraines Censorship Campaign"

The post FBI Serves as a Conduit for Ukraines Censorship Campaign appeared first on Antiwar.com Original.

The recent NATO summit in Lithuania has concluded and it has been announced that Ukraine will not be invited to join the alliance. This is obviously not what Ukraine wanted, considering that they have been lobbying hard for an invitation for the past several years. Upon hearing the news, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was clearly Continue reading "If Ukraine Joins NATO, Does the U.S. Know What Its Bargaining For?"

The post If Ukraine Joins NATO, Does the U.S. Know What Its Bargaining For? appeared first on Antiwar.com Original.

July 23, 2023 By Prof Michel Chossudovsky Global Research, Region: Russia and FSU, USA Theme: Militarization and WMD, US NATO War Agenda In-depth Report: Nuclear War, UKRAINE REPORT All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). To receive Global Researchs Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click []

Click to see full-size image

• On July 22, Ukrainian drone strike hit an ammo depot in the Krasnogvardeysky district;
• On July 19, a fire broke out at a military warehouse in the Kirovsky district of Crimea. The causes of the incident have not been revealed;
• On July 20, a drone strike killed a girl in the village of Razdolnoe;
• On July 18, Russian forces shot down 28 UAVs that targeted Crimea;
• On July 17, the AFU attacked the Crimean Bridge with two naval drones. Two civilians were killed, a 14 years old girl was wounded;
• On July 17, a Ukrainian strike UAV was found near the Port Kavkaz near the Crimean Bridge;
• On July 16, the Russian Army thwarted the AFU attacks on Sevastopol with 7 UAVs and 2 surface drones. All drones were destroyed or downed.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• Ukraines Recent Attacks On Crimea (Map Update)
• Ukraine Strikes Crimea Again, Targets Russian Journalists With Cluster Munitions (Videos)

The post Ukrainian Attacks On Crimea From July 16 To July 23, 2023 (Map Update) appeared first on South Front.

Click to see full-size image

• A woman was killed and three others were wounded by the AFU artillery shelling in Donetsk;
• Nine buildings were damaged by Ukrainian artillery shelling in Donetsk;
• Russian artillery struck AFU positions near Stelmakhovka;
• Russian artillery struck AFU positions near Dibrova;
• Russian artillery struck AFU positions near Nevskoye;
• Russian artillery destroyed an ammo depot of the AFU near Serebryanka;
• Russian artillery destroyed an ammo depot of the AFU near Stupochki;
• Russian artillery destroyed an ammo depot of the AFU near Dzerzhinsk;
• Russian artillery destroyed an ammo depot of the AFU near Spornoye;
• The Russian Army repelled AFU attacks near Novomikhailovka;
• Clashes between the Russian Army and the AFU continue near Kleshcheevka;
• Clashes between the Russian Army and the AFU continue near Torske;
• Clashes between Russian forces and the AFU continue in Mariinka;
• Up to 130 Ukrainian servicemen, 10 armored vehicles, 4 pickups, 4 artillery systems were destroyed in Krasny Liman area, according to the Russian MOD;
• Up to 370 Ukrainian servicemen, 6 armored vehicles, 24 motor vehicles, 3 artillery systems were destroyed in Donetsk countryside, according to the Russian MOD;
• Up to 160 Ukrainian servicemen, 7 Leopard tanks, 15 armored vehicles, 5 motor vehicles, 2 artillery systems were destroyed in Zaporozhye region, according to the Russian MOD;
• The AFU reportedly hit 12 military equipment, 21 artillery units, 1 missiles systems, 2 ammo depot, 1 fuel depot of Russian Army in the past 24 hours.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• ...

Click to see full-size image

• Russian artillery destroyed a fuel depot of the AFU near Malaya Tokmachka;
• Russian artillery destroyed a command post of the AFU near Malaya Tokmachka;
• Russian artillery destroyed an ammo depot of the AFU near Novoivanovka;
• The Russian Army repelled AFU attacks near Rabotino;
• The Russian Army repelled AFU attacks near Marfopol;
• Russian artillery struck AFU positions near Orikhiv;
• Up to 60 Ukrainian servicemen, 2 armored vehicles, 9 motor vehicles were destroyed in Kherson region, according to the Russian MOD;
• Up to 160 Ukrainian servicemen, 7 Leopard tanks, 15 armored vehicles, 5 motor vehicles, 2 artillery systems were destroyed in Zaporozhye region, according to the Russian MOD;
• The AFU reportedly hit 12 military equipment, 21 artillery units, 1 missiles systems, 2 ammo depot, 1 fuel depot of Russian Army in the past 24 hours.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• Military Situation In Ukraine On July 23, 2023 (Map Update)
• Military Situation In Donbass On July 22, 2023 (Map Update)
• Military Situation In Bakhmut Region On July 22, 2023 (Map Update)

The post Military Situation In Southern Ukraine On July 23, 2023 (Map Update) appeared first on...

Click to see full-size image

• The Russian Army struck production sites of unmanned boats near Odessa with high precision weapons;
• Russian artillery struck AFU positions near Stelmakhovka;
• Russian artillery struck AFU positions near Kupyansk;
• Russian artillery struck AFU positions near Priyutnoye;
• Russian artillery struck AFU positions near Dibrova;
• Russian artillery struck AFU positions near Nevskoye;
• Russian artillery destroyed an ammo depot of the AFU near Malaya Tokmachka;
• Russian artillery destroyed an ammo depot of the AFU near Zmiyevka;
• Russian artillery destroyed an ammo depot of the AFU near Zaporozhye;
• Russian artillery destroyed an ammo depot of the AFU near Serebryanka;
• The Russian Army repelled AFU attacks near Novomikhailovka;
• Clashes between the Russian Army and the AFU continue in Mariinka;
• Clashes between the Russian Army and the AFU continue near Kleshcheevka;
• Russian forces destroyed 30 Ukrainian servicemen, 3 armored vehicles, 3 motor vehicles, 1 Gvozdika howitzer in Kupyansk area;
• Russian forces destroyed 130 Ukrainian servicemen, 10 armored vehicles, 4 pickups, 4 artillery systems in Krasny Liman area;
• Russian forces destroyed 370 Ukrainian servicemen, 6 armored vehicles, 24 motor vehicles, 3 artillery systems in Donetsk countryside;
• Russian forces destroyed 60 Ukrainian servicemen, 2 armored vehicles, 9 motor vehicles in Kherson region;
• Russian air defense systems shot down 28 Ukrainian drones near Olshana, Tavolzhanka in the Kharkov region, Verkhnekamenka, Oborotnovka, Privolye, Nikolayevka, Topolevka in the LPR, Opytnoye, Novopetrikovka, Lipovoye, Trudovoye, Soledar, Yelenovka in the DPR, Novoye, Zelenopol, Peremozhnoye, Kuibyshevo, P...

July 23, 2023 Source Declan Hayes As millions of Ukrainian women and children fled into the supposed safety of NATO, their new hosts were researching how to rape them. Because our objective is to identify the guilty parties implicated in Ukraines child sex trafficking industry, whilst also exonerating the innocent, we follow the same general []

It was a photo op for the ages: a visibly well-disposed President Xi Jinping receiving centenarian old friend of China Henry Kissinger in Beijing.

Mirroring meticulous Chinese attention to protocol, they met at Villa 5 of the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse exactly where Kissinger first met in person with Zhou Enlai in 1971, preparing Nixons 1972 visit to China. The Mr. Kissinger Goes to Beijing saga was an unofficial, individual attempt to try to mend increasingly fractious Sino-American relations. He was not representing the current American administration.

Theres the rub. Everyone involved in geopolitics is aware of the legendary Kissinger formulation: To be the USs enemy is dangerous, to be the USs friend is fatal. History abounds in examples, from Japan and South Korea to Germany, France and Ukraine.   As quite a few Chinese scholars privately argued, if reason is to be upheld, and respecting the wisdom of this 100-years-old diplomat, Xi and the Politburo should maintain the China-US relation as it is: icy.

After all, they reason, being the USs enemy is dangerous but manageable for a Sovereign Civilizational State like China. So Beijing should keep the honorable and less perilous status of being a US enemy.

The World Through Washingtons Eyes

Whats really going on in the back rooms of the current American administration was not reflected by Kissingers high-profile peace initiative, but by an extremely combative Edward Luttwak. Luttwak, 80, may not be as visibly influential as Kissinger, but as a behind-the-scenes strategist hes been advising the Pentagon across the spectrum for over five decades. His book on Byzantine Empire strategy, for instance, heavily drawing on top Italian and British sources, is a classic.

Luttwak, a master of deception, reveals precious nuggets in terms of context...