[bert]

........ARABIC-SPEAKING ARMIES have been generally ineffective in the modern era...

I would argue the same about most Arab groups in modern society. Not only the military but also industrialists have a hard time. Arabs are fantastic businessmen and traders, but they have a very difficult time with manufacturing and complex processes. This is to say, Arabs lack organizational skills necessary to manage industrial or military campaigns.

In America we have 100 years of industrial skills and the WW2 when military skills were largely developed.

The challenge for the Arabs is to see if the cadres of western educated young men can use their education to bring about change. They are opposed by formidable conservative opponents who allow no change at all.

The current situation is the result of the battle between the future and the past. This thought is the basis for the discussions between W and Bandar.

[Valin]

In many ways it really does matter what kind of culture a person comes from. As someone looking at the Arab culture from the outside it looks like they haven't left the middle ages behind. This is in many ways understandable as that was time time when they were an 800lb gorilla, but as someone said, that was then, this is now.

[Sabertooth]

The challenge for the Arabs is to see if the cadres of western educated young men can use their education to bring about change. They are opposed by formidable conservative opponents who allow no change at all.

The current situation is the result of the battle between the future and the past. This thought is the basis for the discussions between W and Bandar.

America and the West would not be well-served to educate cadres of young Arabs so long as Islam is a force in the Middle East and multiculturalism is a force in our universities.

We do not need to see the Industrialization of the Jihad.

[rudypoot]

"This is to say, Arabs lack organizational skills necessary to manage industrial or military campaigns."

I have to agree. Arab culture punishes individualism, creativity and leadership development. Once you start acting out of line with the rest of the herd, the mullahs put a fatwa on your butt. Being a good muslem means doing what you're told by the regional self-appointed gangster in-charge.