Military Orientalism: Eastern War through Western Eyes

The recent emphasis on ‘culture’ as an explanation for differences in the ways that armies, nations and peoples fight is subjected to critical scrutiny and found wanting, at least in the more simplistic ways in which ‘culture’ has been offered as a key factor in the changing character of war. Porter argues that ‘culture matters’, but that it must be used carefully like any other complex analytical tool if it is not to mislead.