SKU: 62811586458

Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness

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Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military EffectivenessSince the Second World War, 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

Since the Second World War, 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. In Armies of Sand, Kenneth M. Pollack 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. 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, and 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 coverage, this will be the go-to reference for anyone interested in the history of warfare in the Middle East since 1945.


Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 01/15/2019
ISBN: 9780190906962
Pages: 696
Weight: 2.40lbs
Size: 9.50h x 6.40w x 1.70d

Review Citations: Choice 05/01/2019
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SKU: 62811586458

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Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 5
Nice so far.
Size: 6.5, Color: Molasses
Comfy. They were tight the first day across the toes but as I've worn them a couple times they are loosening up. The sole is forming to my foot. These are very much like Doc Martin's from the early 2000s. Not sure about quality since I haven't had them for very long.
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Cuba, US
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Jami
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 2
Not the best
Size: 7, Color: Black, Size: 7, Color: Black
They are cute but they have a bit of an odd fit that isn’t great for people with narrow feet. They look too dressy to wear with super casual outfits in my opinion. I think the Ugg golden star sandals are much comfier. If you’re wearing these sandals for a really short time they’d be okay. After wearing them around my house for a little while I decided to return them since they started to hurt my feet.
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