Armies of Sand
The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness
Published on 14. March 2019
Book
Hardback
696 pages
978-0-19-090696-2 (ISBN)
Description
Since World War II, Arab armed forces have consistently punched below their weight--they have lost many wars that by all rights they should have won, and in their best performances only ever achieved quite modest accomplishments. Over time, soldiers, scholars, and military experts have offered various explanations for this pattern. Reliance on Soviet military methods, the poor civil-military relations of the Arab world, the underdevelopment of the Arab states, and patterns of behavior derived from the wider Arab culture, have all been suggested as the ultimate source of Arab military difficulties.
Armies of Sand, powerful and riveting history of Arab armies from the end of World War Two to the present, assesses these differing explanations and isolates the most important causes. Over the course of the book, he examines the combat performance of fifteen Arab armies and air forces in virtually every Middle Eastern war, from the Jordanians and Syrians in 1948 to Hizballah in 2006 and the Iraqis and ISIS in 2014-2017. He then compares these experiences to the performance of the Argentine, Chadian, Chinese, Cuban, North Korean, and South Vietnamese armed forces in their own combat operations during the twentieth century. The book ultimately concludes that reliance on Soviet doctrine was more of a help than a hindrance to the Arabs. In contrast, politicization and underdevelopment were both important factors limiting Arab military effectiveness, but patterns of behavior derived from the dominant Arab culture was the most important factor of all. Pollack closes with a discussion of the rapid changes occurring across the Arab world-political, economic, and cultural-as well as the rapid evolution in war making as a result of the information revolution. He suggests that because both Arab society and warfare are changing, the problems that have bedeviled Arab armed forces in the past could dissipate or even vanish in the future, with potentially dramatic consequences for the Middle East military balance. Sweeping in its historical coverage and highly accessible, this will be the go-to reference for anyone interested in the history of warfare in the Middle East since 1945.
Armies of Sand, powerful and riveting history of Arab armies from the end of World War Two to the present, assesses these differing explanations and isolates the most important causes. Over the course of the book, he examines the combat performance of fifteen Arab armies and air forces in virtually every Middle Eastern war, from the Jordanians and Syrians in 1948 to Hizballah in 2006 and the Iraqis and ISIS in 2014-2017. He then compares these experiences to the performance of the Argentine, Chadian, Chinese, Cuban, North Korean, and South Vietnamese armed forces in their own combat operations during the twentieth century. The book ultimately concludes that reliance on Soviet doctrine was more of a help than a hindrance to the Arabs. In contrast, politicization and underdevelopment were both important factors limiting Arab military effectiveness, but patterns of behavior derived from the dominant Arab culture was the most important factor of all. Pollack closes with a discussion of the rapid changes occurring across the Arab world-political, economic, and cultural-as well as the rapid evolution in war making as a result of the information revolution. He suggests that because both Arab society and warfare are changing, the problems that have bedeviled Arab armed forces in the past could dissipate or even vanish in the future, with potentially dramatic consequences for the Middle East military balance. Sweeping in its historical coverage and highly accessible, this will be the go-to reference for anyone interested in the history of warfare in the Middle East since 1945.
Reviews / Votes
A masterful, wide-ranging, compelling study of why Arab armies have typically fared poorly in combat. With this certain-to-be classic work, Ken Pollack solidifies his position as one of the world's foremost scholars on Middle Eastern military and political affairs. * General David Petraeus (US Army, Ret.), former Director of the CIA * Ken Pollack argues convincingly that efforts to uncover causes of military success or failure must begin far from the battlefield. He shines new light on social, economic, political, and cultural impediments to improving military effectiveness in Arab states. His argument that the influence of culture is predominant is certain to generate introspection among Arab leaders and their overseas partners who support their military reform efforts. This should be read and debated by readers who want to understand better this complex and important region. * H.R. McMaster, Former National Security Advisor and author of Dereliction of Duty * Few if any military analysts know as much, or have thought as deeply, about Arab armies as has Ken Pollack. In Armies of Sand-a masterpiece of political science-he distills a lifetime of learning to grapple with the most important and most difficult questions that lie at the intersection of technology, culture and politics. Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the dynamics of warfare in the Middle East. * Max Boot, author of Invisible Armies * Armies of Sand belongs in the library of every military professional serving in the Middle East, whether Western or Arab. It is a unique blend of military history and social science that comprehensively explains the military effectiveness of our Arab friends and foes alike. Pollack has courageously and objectively tackled the sensitive subject of culture, which we ignore at our peril. Armed with its insights, future commanders might avoid the surprises and frustrations that have long been the hallmarks of military operations in this theater of persistent conflict. * Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland, U.S. Army (Ret.); Commander of Coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, 2015-2016 * This is a path-breaking volume on an uncomfortable topic: Arab military failure. Kenneth Pollack is the model of the engaged scholar, whose extensive field experience on today's battlefields complements his knowledge of military affairs and the Arab world more broadly. The volume is lucid, comprehensive and fascinating. His conclusions about the relationship between culture and military effectiveness will be controversial, but they are compellingly put and will set the terms of debate for years to come. * Eliot A. Cohen, Robert E. Osgood Professor of Strategic Studies, Johns Hopkins-SAIS *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
27 maps
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 43 mm
Weight
1089 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-090696-2 (9780190906962)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
12/2018
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€9.99
Available for download
E-Book
12/2018
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€9.99
Available for download
Person
Kenneth Pollack has been an expert on Middle Eastern military and political affairs for over 30 years. A longtime Senior Fellow of the Brookings Institution, where he ran the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, he is currently a Resident Scholar of the American Enterprise Institute. His other books on the political and military of the Middle East include the bestsellers The Threatening Storm and The Persian Puzzle.
Content
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Six-Day War and the Mystery of Arab Military Ineffectiveness
1. Pattens of Arab Military Performance
Part I: Soviet Doctrine
2. The Soviet Way of War
3. Arab Militaries and Soviet Doctrine
4. North Korea, Cuba, and Soviet Doctrine
Part II: Politicization
5. Politicization
6. Arab Militaries and Politicization: Egypt
7. Arab Militaries and Politicization: Iraq
8. Politicization and the South Vietnamese Armed Forces
9. Politicization and the Argentine Armed Forces
Part III: Underdevelopment
10. Economic Development and Military Effectiveness
11. Economic Development and Syrian Military Effectiveness
12. Economic Development and the Libya-Chad Wars
13. Economic Development and Chinese Military Effectiveness
14. Economic Development and Arab Military Effectiveness
Part IV: Culture
15. War and Culture
16. Arab Culture as an Explanation for Military Ineffectiveness
17. Aab Culture: Patterns and Predilections
18. Arab Culture and Arab Military Effectiveness
19. Arab Culture and Civilian Organizations
20. Culture and Education: The Causal Link
21. Arab Military Training Methods
22. Exceptional Arab Militaries: State Armed Forces
23. Exceptional Arab Militaries: Nonstate Armies
Conclusions: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Six-Day War and the Mystery of Arab Military Ineffectiveness
1. Pattens of Arab Military Performance
Part I: Soviet Doctrine
2. The Soviet Way of War
3. Arab Militaries and Soviet Doctrine
4. North Korea, Cuba, and Soviet Doctrine
Part II: Politicization
5. Politicization
6. Arab Militaries and Politicization: Egypt
7. Arab Militaries and Politicization: Iraq
8. Politicization and the South Vietnamese Armed Forces
9. Politicization and the Argentine Armed Forces
Part III: Underdevelopment
10. Economic Development and Military Effectiveness
11. Economic Development and Syrian Military Effectiveness
12. Economic Development and the Libya-Chad Wars
13. Economic Development and Chinese Military Effectiveness
14. Economic Development and Arab Military Effectiveness
Part IV: Culture
15. War and Culture
16. Arab Culture as an Explanation for Military Ineffectiveness
17. Aab Culture: Patterns and Predilections
18. Arab Culture and Arab Military Effectiveness
19. Arab Culture and Civilian Organizations
20. Culture and Education: The Causal Link
21. Arab Military Training Methods
22. Exceptional Arab Militaries: State Armed Forces
23. Exceptional Arab Militaries: Nonstate Armies
Conclusions: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index