'All Innovation Leads to Hellfire': Military Reform and the Ottoman Empire in the Eighteenth Century

Author: Tuck, Christopher¹

Source: Journal of Strategic Studies, Volume 31, Number 3, June 2008 , pp. 467-502(36)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

The debates on the pace, scope and nature of Ottoman military reform tend to be dominated by domestic and/or cultural explanations. Issues of military competition and efficiency, embodied in Neorealist perspectives, might appear to have little to offer as an explanatory tool in the Ottoman context. This article argues that this view is mistaken. First, despite their value, there remains an indeterminacy about domestic and cultural explanations that limits their usefulness as single-cause explanations. Second, Neorealism does generate valuable insights into the dynamics of military reform in the Ottoman Empire; issues of military competition and efficiency do matter in explaining the nature of Ottoman military reform during this period. Ultimately, domestic, cultural, and Neorealist perspectives are complementary, and mono-causal explanations of eighteenth century developments in the Ottoman military are likely to be too simplistic.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/01402390802024734

Affiliations: 1: Defence Studies Department, Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham, UK