About:
Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness by Kenneth M. Pollack investigates the lacking performance of Arab armies since 1945, despite massive investments, training, the latest weaponry, and certainly no shortness of bravery. Mr. Pollack is and Middle East political-military affairs expert who worked in the region and the held relevant positions in the American government.
- 696 pages
- Publisher : Oxford University Press
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 0190906960
My rating for Armies of Sand – 5
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Thoughts:
This book is a fantastic, well researched and respectful analysis of Arab armies’ shortfalls in conventional warfare. It is a subject that has been studied, talked about, and researched both within and outside the countries involved, but I believe that this is the best book I have read on this subject to date.
Armies of Sand by Kenneth M. Pollack examines the causes and effects of the ineffectiveness of the Arab Armies after World War II. The book also dispelled popular explanations for these deficiencies by examining historical data from 15 different Arab armies against non-Arab ones such as South Vietnam, Argentina, and Chad. He also analyzes ISIS and Hezbollah as examples of counter Arab culture groups which bypass the cultural weakness that he sees as part of the reason for the big armies’ failures.
The author’s main argument can be separated into four categories: Soviet doctrine, politicization of the military, economic underdevelopment, and Arab patriarchal culture.
One of the theories that Arab armies weren’t successful is because the adaptation of Soviet doctrine which is both rigid and centralized. Mr. Pollack, however, debunks that theory writing that Arab armies were most successful applying that doctrine. He brings examples of Cuba and North Korea who implemented Soviet doctrine successfully.
The politicization of Arab armies, or as the author calls it “praetorianism“, certain did hamper strategic leadership. However, preferring loyalty over competence does not account for the tactical failure of young officers and small units across all armies.
Even though the Arabs lack of technical familiarity (back then, not today) made it difficult to maintain modern war machines, other comparable nations managed to adapt. The Chines of the mid and late 1900s were behind the Arabs from an economic perspective but still showed greater flexibility and initiative in the battlefield.
The author concludes that the dominant Arab cultural traits are the main ones at fault. Rote memorization discouraged initiative, paternalism discouraged questioning your superiors and discouraging individual initiative racked havoc when orders from above were late or never arrived when battlefield conditions dictated a change in strategy.
Mr. Pollack tackled a difficult subject, but his vast knowledge of Middle East battles, rigorous research, and field knowledge made for a remarkable book. This is a comprehensive, very readable book that is a must for anyone who wants to understand Middle East Militaries and its history.
Buy Armies of Sand from Amazon.com*
More books by Kenneth M. Pollack*
Zohar — Man of la Book
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