Retired Army Colonel Norvell De Atkine is an expert on Middle Eastern affairs and has studied the art of war for years. In “Why Arabs Lose Wars” published by the Middle East review of International Affairs, he examines the many factors that discourage Arabs from becoming effective soldiers.
De Atkine’s analysis provides a sharp contrast between militaries operating under dictatorships and those under freedom.
According to De Atkine, Arabs under dictatorships are bound by rigid centralized control and are prohibited from making independent decisions on the ground. In addition, many soldiers are illiterate and cannot effectively man weapons systems. The Arab soldier is discouraged from thinking on his own or exercising any creativity. As a result, he cannot make rapid changes in battle. He must wait for instructions from his superiors.
De Atkine also notes that Arab militaries work on paranoia and create distrust among their units. Various tribal hostilities are present in the military and these create problems for a coherent fighting force. As he observes: “Arab officers do not see any value in sharing information among themselves, let alone with their men. In this they follow the example of their political leaders, who not only withhold information from their own allies, but routinely deceive them.”
The contrast between a military operating under a democratic system of government and one operating under a dictatorship is clearly evident in De Atkine’s essay. One fosters freedom and independent thinking; the other fosters distrust, paranoia, and ineffective leadership. Our recent 27-day war against Iraq is evidence of this.
De Atkine concludes that only by democratizing Arab nations, can Arab militaries become effective fighting forces. Until then, they will continue to lose wars.
You can read De Atkine’s essay here: Why Arabs Lose Wars.
Read TVC’s report on the importance of Christianity in providing nations with a legacy of freedom: http://traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?name=Downloads&d;_op=getit&lid;=53