Arab way of war 09
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The document discusses the "Arab way of war" and how culture influences military effectiveness. It argues that Arab culture has both strengths and weaknesses when it comes to warfare. Strengths include low soldier maintenance costs, obedience to authority, and a history of "rising from the ashes." Weaknesses include overly centralized decision-making, inhibitions on individual initiative, distrust of the military, and the heavy influence of politics. Urban warfare is seen as a defining feature of conflicts in the Middle East, both historically and in the future. Culture must be carefully considered when assessing Arab military capabilities.
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Arab way of war 09
- 1. THE ARAB WAY OF WAR Norvell B DeAtkine Youstahz@aol.com June 2009
- 2. Application of Culture to Warfare Generally not done or if done stereotypically applied
- 3. What is Stereotyping? Taking a kernel of truth and creating a broad all-inclusive generalization It can lead to disaster in threat assessment
- 4. Pakistan outgunned and outnumbered by India launches an attack on India.WHY? One Pakistani soldier equals 20 Indians Example The Indo-Pakistan War, 1971
- 5. Culture and Stereotyping Disasters in History Hitlers assessment of U.S. war making capability Our assessment of the Japanese in 1940 German assessment of the Eastern Europeans prior to Operation Barbarossa
- 6. Culture and Stereotyping Arab view of the Jews prior to 1948 Our assessment of the North Vietnamese in 1966 Israeli view of the Egyptian military in 1973
- 7. Culture and Stereotyping Iraqi assessment of the U.S. in 1990.and perhaps again in 2003? Ben Ladens view of the U.S.?
- 8. Culture is a prime determinant of the nature of warfare as the history of its development in Asia clearly demonstrates. John Keegan The History of Warfare The beginning and the ending of handling Arabs is the unremitting study of them TE Lawrence The Arab Bulletin Aug 1920
- 9. Attributes Not Applicable to Cultural Studies in Warfare Courage Human Intelligence Genetics Example: Roman Imperial Army ACCULTURATION NOT GENES
- 10. Arab Warfare in History Amazing Arab/Islamic expansion in 7th Century due to number of historical and social factors, but also because of Extensive battle experience Excellent leadership Adaptability Excellent mobilization
- 11. ARAB WAY OF WAR All peoples have a distinct cultural approach to warfare. As Americans we have our own strengths and weaknesses. The trick is to minimize the weaknesses and use the strengths. EXAMPLE; Kasserine Pass in WWII demonstrated our weaknesses.
- 12. General Observations on Styles of War American Vaunted position of smart weapons and technology Quick resolution demanded Decisive victory expected Firepower decisive War must be socially beneficial Requires clear demarcation between peace and war Ambiguity avoided and/or the complex oversimplified
- 13. Arab Style of War Political context Evasive/Indirection Delay/attrite Standoff Deception Defense over offense Psychological warfare Victories without battles - T.E. Lawrence 1921
- 14. STRENGHTS OF ARAB MILITARY * low soldier maintenance. * Inured to austere living conditions * Tradition of obedience to authority * Islam and the Arabic language are great vehicles for motivation and control. *Dogged in Defense *History of rising from the ashes
- 15. ARAB Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities Overly Centralized Decisions made at higher levels No subordinate input Written orders a must Top-heavy rank structure Very little latitude given subordinates Stovepipe organization inhibiting lateral communications
- 16. Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities Inhibitions on individual initiative Nail that stands up gets hammered down Byproduct of an authoritarian culture Comparison of the Israeli and Egyptian Suez crossing in 1973 Soviet training reinforced top-down command style
- 17. Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities Decision-making and taking responsibility U.S. E-7 equals authority of most Arab O-5/O-6 Always at the top Tendency to reject personal responsibility
- 18. Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities Distrust of military, especially ground forces Balance of forces SANG and SALF Iraqi Army and Republican Guard Egyptian Army and Central Security Force Syrian Army and Republican Guard Division Dual-edged sword Examples Syrian in 1967 Egypt in 1973 Iraq in 1991
- 19. Weaknesses and vulnerabilities Other effects of the environment of distrust; - Lack of effective joint operations - Lack of effective coalition war - Inhibitions on large scale training
- 20. Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities Arab The Heavy Hand of Politicization The Islamist threat The ethnicity problem The waning but still important place of certain ideologies
- 21. Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities Arab Manipulation of information and security Information is power Paranoia on security Examples Egyptians in 1973 Egyptians and Syrians in 1973
- 22. Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities Arab Dissimulation and Objectivity Killing the messenger The lie which facilitates is better than the truth which confronts Arabic language as a powerful cultural influence
- 23. Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities Arab The Education Process By rote Instructor/instructors never challenged Rigid classroom etiquette Questioning Grading Ranks
- 24. Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities Arab Officers and Enlisted Gap and Unit Cohesiveness Non-existent NCO Corps EM treatment execrable No communication Typical Egyptian Army weekend in tactical unit
- 25. Considerations in Assessing Arab Military Effectiveness Arabs have a flair for the dramatic and present Outstanding dog and pony shows.
- 26. ARAB WAY of WAR The maintenance system is culture dependent, e.g., mechanical aptitude trust in subordinates the educational system infrastructure dependence on outside support Logistics and maintenance are perennial problems.
- 27. ARAB WAY OF WAR Urban warfare is the Middle East warfare of the past and future 1948 Jerusalem: Israeli-/Arabs 1967 Jerusalem: Israeli conquest(reconquest) 1970 Amman: Jordanian conflict with PLO 1973 Suez City: Egypt stops Israeli attack 1975-1990 Lebanon: The civil war 1980/1981 Iran Iraq: Khoramshar 1980 and 1982 : Syria. Islamist revolt 1989- 2002 Intifadah I and II in Palestine
- 28. Arab Way of War Israeli Tank in Bethlehem
- 29. THE ARAB WAY OF WAR Look For a strategy of urban terrorism: The lesson learned in the evolution of the PLO strategy is that terrorism, not conventional or guerrilla war, works.
- 30. As we must face in parts of Iraq
- 31. ARAB WAY OF WAR To begin to understand the apparent Arab propensity for self-sacrifice in terrorist attacks, one must read Eric Hofer, The True Believer, and Raphael Patais The Arab Mind. Dying and killing seem easy when they are part of ritual, ceremonial, dramatic performance..
- 32. ARAB WAY OF WAR One of the main tasks of a real leader is to mask the grim reality of killing and dying by evoking in his followers the illusion that they are participating in a grand spectacle. Glory is a theatrical concept. There is no striving for glory without a vivid audience..the knowledge that our mighty deeds will become known to our contemporaries. Above quotes from Eric Hofer
- 33. ARAB WAY OF WAR It is a characteristic of the Arab mind to be swayed more by words than ideas and ideas more than facts. George Attiyeh in The Arabs. Palestinian suicide bomber
- 34. ARAB WAY OF WAR The Influence of Arab Culture on Arab Military effectiveness A PHD THESIS by Kenneth Pollack completed in 1996 at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology HIS PRIMARY CONCLUSION Arab culture had a tremendous influence on the ability of Arab militaries to conduct maneuver warfare, and the weakness of Arab militaries in maneuver warfare was the single most detrimental aspect of their poor military performance.
- 35. ARAB WAY OF WAR Other findings of Pollock: Weakness in mechanized warfare Socio-economic backwardness Politicization of officer corps Focus on internal security
- 36. ARAB WAY OF WAR Concluding Observations In the Arab World if the right hand is active, keep a sharp eye on the left. Reverse the Clausewitzean theorem; War is not a continuation of politics but actually politics is a continuation of war. The Middle Eastern wars will be most often fought in urban areas.
- 37. ARAB WAY OF WAR QUESTIONS?