SKU: 62811586458

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

Sale price$32.89 Regular price$36.54
Save 10%

Pay in installments of $9.13 with ShopPay, AfterPay and Klarna

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 19 - Jul 24

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

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
Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 62811586458

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.1 ★★★★★
Based on 5 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
W
Verified Purchase
Wendy Gray
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
Great product
Color: Grey, Size: 34"- 6 Panel
This room divider is great. It was easy to put together. I was worried about it standing up right and not falling over. It stays up perfectly and is very easy to move and adjust to the shape I want it. Also, from one of the videos I watched it looked like the fabric was puckered in the panels. That is not the case at all. The fabric fits tightly in each panel for a nice smooth look. I would definitely recommend this and would buy again if needed.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2025
A
Verified Purchase
Alex caine
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 1
Awful.
Color: Black, Size: 22"- 4 Panel
Easiest one star review ever. I'm writing this with bloody fingers from assembling this. Multiple poles were bent, none of the pole connectors worked, the hex wrench broke in my hand, the screws didn't really go into the holes provided (I had to get a friend with a press drill to widen the holes to make it work), there are sharp edges on the poles where there is a seam, and doesn't look that great once assembled. Easy do not buy, the only reason I didn't return is because it would have been tough to disassemble the half I got through in the first 5 hours of building (mostly spent fixing the product delivered)
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2025
A
Verified Purchase
Andy Sims
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
better then expected
Color: Black
very easy to put together works perfectly! very stable for the side would buy again!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2026
Y
Verified Purchase
Yuliet carreño cutiño
Houston, US
★★★★★ 3
Divisor de habitaciones
Color: Black
La entrega fue perfecta , si debo de decir que en la descripción del producto decía que media 72 ancho x 72 alto pero no fue así su ancho es de 60 .
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2025
N
Verified Purchase
Nana rice
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 5
Good purchase
Color: Black
We used this screen to divide the beds at a hotel. It gave the perfect privacy, was easy to put up and very sturdy
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2026

recommand products