Arabs at war : military effectiveness, 1948-1991 / Kenneth M. Pollack.

"A Council on Foreign Relations book."

Based in part on the author's dissertation (doctoral--MIT, 1996) under the title: The influence of Arab culture on Arab military effectiveness, 1948-1991.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [655]-675) and index.

Machine generated contents note: Understanding Modern Arab Military Effectiveness, i -- 1. Egypt, 14 -- 2. Iraq, 148 -- 3. Jordan, 267 -- 4. Libya, 358 -- 5. Saudi Arabia, 425 -- 6. Syria, 447 -- Conclusions and Lessons, 552 -- Notes, 585 -- Selected Bibliography, 655 -- Index, 677.

Kenneth M. Pollack, formerly a Persian Gulf military analyst at the CIA and Director for Persian Gulf Affairs at the National Security Council, describes and analyzes the military history of the six key Arab states--Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Syria--during the post-World War II era. This is the first time that the complete postwar histories of virtually all of these countries have been recorded in unclassified form. In particular Pollack focuses on the Arab armies themselves, helping to illuminate the persistent problems they encountered on the battlefield. He shows in detail how each Arab military grew and learned from its own experiences in response to the specific objectives set for it and within often constrained political, economic, and social circumstances.