Why Arabs Lose Wars

 

By Norville de Atkine

 

Abstract: The author argues that the reasons for Arab armies perpetual

ineffectiveness are rooted in Arab culture. Social factors that prohibit

success include: secrecy and paranoia, pride, class structure, a lack of

coordination on all levels, and little individual freedom or initiative.

 

Arabic-speaking armies have been generally ineffective in the modern era.

Egyptian regular forces did poorly against Yemeni irregulars in the 1960s.

(1) Syrians could only impose their will in Lebanon during the mid-1970s by

the use of overwhelming weaponry and numbers. (2) Iraqis showed ineptness

against an Iranian military ripped apart by revolutionary turmoil in the

1980s and could not win a three-decades-long war against the Kurds. (3) The

Arab military performance on both sides of the 1990 Kuwait war was

mediocre. (3) And the Arabs have done poorly in nearly all the military

confrontations with Israel. Why this unimpressive record? There are many

factors--economic, ideological, technical--but perhaps the most important

has to do with culture and certain societal attributes which inhibit Arabs

from producing an effective military force.