As an American soldier, I found that one of the best and most satisfying things about the first Gulf War, the liberation of Kuwait, was that we'd never again have to listen to how great the Israelis were. We'd seen the Arabs, met them, and went through them like a hot knife through butter. What did Tzahal have to teach us? It's a complex set of problems they have, the armies of the Arab world. Here's a true story that will illustrate a lot of that why. During Bright Star 85, the Egyptian Army, which is one of the better Arab armies, set up some tents for us as Wadi Natrun, northwest of Cairo. The officer in charge of the detail looked at the Americans, looked at the tents (which were, by the way, better than ours), looked at the Americans; He was thinking that an American's signature on a hand receipt would do him no good if one of those very good and very expensive tents grew legs and went to hide in a shipping container.
He put his platoon in formation, held up three fingers, and announced, "I need three guards." Every man reached into his back pocket, pulled out a wallet and began peeling off notes. That is to say, they were offering bribes, baksheesh. The three who came up with the smallest bribes were picked to guard the tents. These three then proceeded to squat by the road, hold hands, and cry like babies. And it was sort of understandable that they cried because for the next four days they got no food or water except what our men gave them out of pity; their officer just didn't care.
That's what you fight when you fight Arab armies, and that's why we went through them like lightning. They're a collection of demoralized bipedal sheep usually led by corrupt and connected human filth. Exceptions? Sure there are exceptions; I've met a few. That's why we call them "exceptional."
The Arabs are what the sociologists like to call "amoral familists." This means that they are nearly or totally incapable of forming bonds of love and loyalty with anyone not a blood relation. Even then, the degree of blood relation determines where loyalty legitimately lies. The saying in the area is: "Me and my brother against my cousin; me, my brother and my cousin against the world." This not only allows a superior to extort baksheesh from non-relations, but identifies him as an idiot "a weak idiot, actually" if he does not.
Add in the Islamic fantasy mindset.
Don't forget "Insh'allah," (Which is like "manana," but without the sense of urgency) which makes it somewhat impious to train really well since it is all the will of God anyway. Insh'allah also provides an excuse for bad behaviour on the battlefield. Add in a set of social values that despise and loathe physical labour.
In an organization that is formed from a clan or tribe, the loyalty of everyone, from the rank and file to the commanding officer, is not to the government. It isn't to the country, which is a pretty weak concept in the Arab world anyway. Family and faith matter there a great deal; countries little or not at all.
Militarily, they've got nothing going for them