Was carthage connected to other cultures except through military conquest?
yes, though international trade was limited.

no, military conquest was the only way in which carthage came into contact with other cultures.

yes, they were prolific traders.

no, carthage was explicitly isolationist.

the conditions that made the byzantine empire vulnerable to attacks by the muslin turks were the sack of constantinople by western crusaders, the conquests of the sultanate of rum, presence of rival kingdoms and finally the set up of fiefdoms at the empire which were owned by the ghazis (turkish warriors).