Heard this interesting interview in ‘Conversations with History’ of UCTV.

Take-away from from this interview, among many, are

• Diplomacy is always the more cost-effective way to deal with a foe. However the success of it depends largely on how well you understand your foe, and the foes of your foe.

• Aspiration and Experience: Byzantine Empire survived for a long time after the collapse of the Roman Empire because, according to the writer, it understood that no matter how strong and formidable your adversary appears to be, the Byzantine civilization has faced and outlived equally ferocious opponents before.

Of course, if you check out the Amazon, the reviews of the book are mixed.