Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

The nonmilitary consequences of military revolutions: Some work to be done here?

Do all military revolutions have a moral or political dimension? I bet they do.

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In his new book on the culture, politics and strategy of Sparta, Paul Rahe states, “The military revolution under way in the eighth and early in the seventh century [BC] had profound moral implications.”

That sentence made me wonder: Do all military revolutions have a moral or political dimension? I bet they do.

Does anyone know of a book that studies that question? If not, the subject would make a good dissertation subject for someone with a broad mind inclined to analogy and synthesis.

Photo credit: Amazon.com

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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