Article

2014-09-04 Arabia

Why Are Arab Armies So Generally Worthless?

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Posted by OldSpook 2014-09-04 00:00|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 Why? Well you can start with the fact that Arab armies are made up of ...Arabs.

Posted by Bangkok Billy 2014-09-04 01:09|| 2014-09-04 01:09|| Front Page Top

#2 Dayan was asked the secret for his string of victories. His answer was: "Fight Arabs!

Also google for "Why Arab armies lose wars".

Unfortunatly the not tto bad guys Arabs conform to this model and the bad guys (read jihadists) don't.

Posted by JFM 2014-09-04 05:25|| 2014-09-04 05:25|| Front Page Top

#3 Unfortunatly the not tto bad guys Arabs conform to this model and the bad guys (read jihadists) don't.

The Jihadis are nothing without their western facillitators, either.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2014-09-04 05:46|| 2014-09-04 05:46|| Front Page Top

#4 A wise man named Fred once mused in passing, A man must plan and plan for his clan, his clan.

Posted by Shipman 2014-09-04 06:44|| 2014-09-04 06:44|| Front Page Top

#5 The Jihadis are nothing without their western facillitators, either

While many weakneses of the Araba rrmies will also be in the jihadist armies these will have far better moral.

Also don't draw too many conclusions from the Egyptian army: Egyptians are peasants and far less warrior-like thand esrt-dwellers.

Posted by JFM 2014-09-04 07:43|| 2014-09-04 07:43|| Front Page Top

#6 Corruption.
The armies are mean of social and economic advancement along with protecting whatever political machine runs the country. It is not designed to fight and win a war in the modern Western sense. Its an EEO institution for whosoever clan/tribe is running the place.
[Don't get cocky cause that is evolving right before your own eyes as anything but merit is starting to take hold in your own institution]

Posted by Procopius2k 2014-09-04 09:45|| 2014-09-04 09:45|| Front Page Top

#7 Read the article. The author apparently chewed much of the same dirt I did. Bright Star, real fun, broken legs and all (google it). And deployments within the Magic Kingdom prior to and after Desert Shield/Storm.The Saudi National Guard is an exception to the quality issue, although it's clearly a tribal unit, as the author notes.

The only exception to this in the Arab world is the Jordanian Army, which was set up and run strictly by the British army along their lines - with professional officers, and uniquely amongst the Arabs, a professional NCO corps. All volunteer, they are unique in that they require 12 weeks of western style basic training, followed by 2 to 6 months of advanced training, after which they are assigned to their units with the expectation that they still have more to learn. Consequently, the Jordanian Army is fairly small compared to the conscript armies in the region, but in many areas they approach western militaries in terms of standards and capabilities.

Posted by OldSpook 2014-09-04 09:56|| 2014-09-04 09:56|| Front Page Top

#8 The clan based loyalty system and the corruption.

They have nothing to fight for and run like hell at the first opportunity.

There are units that have overcome this, but it is through discipline and training and loyalty to the state/unit.

Posted by DarthVader 2014-09-04 10:50|| 2014-09-04 10:50|| Front Page Top

#9 The jihadis are bound by the same cultural limitations, which is something our intel should be exploiting.

The organization takes the place of the tribe, but don't believe the guys selected to explode are the emir's close relatives.

In the Pak tribal regions (I know they're not Arabs but they're wannabe Arabs) the groups splinter at the drop of a hat and shoot each other up periodically. Abdullah Azzam might be somebody to name brigades after now, but when he was alive Zawahiri had his car boomed and off to paradise he went.

Posted by Fred 2014-09-04 10:52|| 2014-09-04 10:52|| Front Page Top

#10 Which is like "manana," but without the sense of urgency

Should actually be "without the sense of relative urgency."

The only other exception I'll add is parts of the Saudi navy. The Sauds crew their east coast ships with sailors from the west coast, and vice versa. They tend to be moderately professional because they have nothing but their ship and each other. There's a decent level of professionalism among the petty and warrant officers, which is good because the naval officers are a mixed lot tending toward disinterested members of the ruling family.

Posted by Pappy 2014-09-04 11:02|| 2014-09-04 11:02|| Front Page Top

#11 The jihadis are bound by the same cultural limitations, which is something our intel should be exploiting.

If only the celebration of 'cultural limitations' could end, perhaps exploitation could begin.

Posted by Besoeker 2014-09-04 11:02|| 2014-09-04 11:02|| Front Page Top

#12 #5 Actually, Egypt has, perhaps, the best military in the Arab world. Way superior to various bedouin "armies".

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2014-09-04 12:35|| 2014-09-04 12:35|| Front Page Top

#13 superior to various bedouin "armies".Posted by g(r)omgoru

An obvious racial statement. Consider yourself on indefinite probation.

Posted by Besoeker 2014-09-04 12:43|| 2014-09-04 12:43|| Front Page Top

#14 Last great Muslim leader (Saladin) was actually a Kurd.

I don't know if the Arabs can actually claim a great military leader. At first I thought it was because they came from a tribal society that went on small scale raids rather than actual warfare but the American Indians started that way and produced a number of great leaders.

Posted by rjschwarz 2014-09-04 14:45|| 2014-09-04 14:45|| Front Page Top

#15 Consider yourself on indefinite probation.

Hey, I haven't a chance to express sexism & Speciesism yet!

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2014-09-04 14:49|| 2014-09-04 14:49|| Front Page Top

#16 There's even some speculation on what makes clannishness so intense. Her hypothesis is that close cousin marriage literally breeds for the attitude.

Posted by James 2014-09-04 17:59|| http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com 2014-09-04 17:59|| Front Page Top

#17 The jihadis are bound by the same cultural limitations, which is something our intel should be exploiting.

Well, yes. Unfortunately the days of Lawrence or the officer-on-detached-service are long past. State isn't interested and the Klingons view it as a conflict with their agenda, whatever that is.

Posted by Pappy 2014-09-04 20:53|| 2014-09-04 20:53|| Front Page Top

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