Category Archives: Military History

White Paper: The Military and Political History of the Social War (91–87 BCE)

Executive Summary The Social War (Latin: Bellum Sociale or Bellum Italicum, 91–87 BCE) was a watershed in the history of the late Roman Republic. Though it began as a rebellion by Rome’s Italian allies (socii) seeking citizenship and political equality, … Continue reading

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White Paper: Sudan’s Civil War (2023–present): Tactical & Strategic Assessment, Scenarios, and the Likelihood of Victory or Partition

Executive summary Sudan’s war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF, led by Mohamed “Hemedti” Dagalo) has hardened into a multi-front conflict with heavy foreign involvement, catastrophic humanitarian conditions, … Continue reading

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White Paper: The Political and Military History of Epirus

I. Introduction Epirus, a rugged and mountainous region straddling the modern borders of northwestern Greece and southern Albania, has played a complex and often underappreciated role in the ancient and medieval history of the Balkans. Its story is one of … Continue reading

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White Paper: Afghanistan–Pakistan: Conflict Dynamics, Capabilities, and Pathways to (De-)Escalation

Executive summary Border violence between Pakistan and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan has spiked to the worst levels since 2021, culminating this week in a Qatar- and Turkey-mediated ceasefire after days of airstrikes, artillery exchanges, and border closures. The truce commits both sides … Continue reading

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White Paper: The Typology of Looting and Profiteering in Wartime and Its Role in Social Mobility and National Economic Policy

I. Introduction Looting and wartime profiteering are persistent and paradoxical features of human conflict. While they represent moral and legal violations in most contexts, they also serve as engines of redistribution, innovation, and occasionally modernization. From ancient empires to contemporary … Continue reading

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White Paper: Biblical “Giants” and Contemporary Genetics: Text, Physiology, Population Variation, and Myth

Executive summary Biblical texts refer to unusually large people and peoples—Nephilim, Rephaim, Anakim, and individual figures like Goliath and Og. Careful textual analysis suggests the Bible depicts exceptional but human-scale tallness, not fantasy-scale beings. Modern science explains unusual height through … Continue reading

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White Paper: What Was Lost: Scotland in the Wars of the Auld Alliance and in the Brain Drain of Empire

Executive Summary Scotland’s history is marked by two great forms of loss: first, the devastation of recurrent wars fought against England in the medieval and early modern periods, often within the framework of the Auld Alliance with France (1295–1560); second, … Continue reading

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White Paper: The Anglo-Scottish Borderlands between Edinburgh and Berwick: A Cockpit of War

Executive Summary The corridor stretching from Edinburgh in the north to Berwick-upon-Tweed in the south served for centuries as one of the most militarized and contested landscapes in the British Isles. Its geography, fortifications, and socio-political importance made it a … Continue reading

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White Paper: The Political and Military History of the Kingdom of Strathclyde

Introduction The Kingdom of Strathclyde, sometimes called Alt Clut (“Rock of the Clyde”) after its fortress base at Dumbarton Rock, was one of the most enduring Brittonic successor states to Roman Britain. Existing from at least the 5th century until … Continue reading

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The Kingdom of the Picts: A White Paper on Political and Military History

Executive summary From late Roman times to the mid-9th century, the peoples later called “Picts” forged powerful polities north of the Forth, culminating in the over-kingdom of Fortriu and a period of regional hegemony. Their ascendancy was punctuated by decisive … Continue reading

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