Why Arabs Lose Wars

Naughty naughty!

An Israeli once told me that the IDF always knew when the Arabs were beaten. They would find piles of army boots in the desert. The Arabs would take off their boots and toss them when they ran away, since they didn't wear boots in the villages they came from.

An army based on fear breaks down when the opposing force causes even greater fear.

Obviously, Arab armies will continue to be ruinously incompetent until the patriarchal dominance of family life is altered, tribalism is effectively abolished in military units, and they become more secular in outlook by abandoning their crude barracks religion and superstitions. Maybe in a few hundred years.

It's pathetic. This reminds me of the kind of idiocy seen among the knights of the Middle Ages. No concepts of measuring and improving military effectiveness because it might embarass someone important. Better that they all die or lose a war than that some poobah should feel embarassment. This is face-saving carried far beyond what we ever saw in the Oriental armies like the Japanese.

This article demonstrates again why America is rich and strong. It's about freedom and individuality. Americans are not restricted by caste or clan or family circumstances or ethnicity or religious sect. Generally, merit guides advancement. The sad thing here, for Arab conscripts, is that they have no such cnncept or it violates their cultural notions about patriarchy/clan/religion. This readily explains exactly why even the educated classes of Egypt and other Arab countries are in denial over the sudden surrenders and failure of Iraq to fight. They try to make up lies and excuses, that somehow the Jews magically manipulated Iraq or that there was treachery (a telling accusation in itself) instead of simply facing the truth about why Iraq failed. Because they can't afford to face it; it means they would have to confront who and what they are and what their societies stand for. And they won't do it. The dead hand of their false prophet has imprisoned their minds as well as their souls.

Because the Arab educational system is predicated on rote memorization, officers have a phenomenal ability to commit vast amounts of knowledge to memory. The learning system tends to consist of on-high lectures, with students taking voluminous notes and being examined on what they were told. (It also has interesting implications for foreign instructors; for example, his credibility is diminished if he must resort to a book.) The emphasis on memorization has a price, and that is in diminished ability to reason or engage in analysis...

Years ago an Iranian couple were among our Thanksgiving guests - and at one point I said out loud 'where is (forgot the item) but the man spoke up and said 'it's on top of the China Cabinet'. It was the first time he had been in my home and they had been there less than 15 minutes and had casually memorized where everything was... Interesting article backs up my perceptions...

Reminds of the movie “Paper Chase” in which a law school student had a photographic memory. He had been an ace college student, able to regurgitate whole passages from text books whenever he took a test. But the Law Professor was not impressed — (not an actual quote:) “But what does that mean? Do you understand it? How would you make use of this passage in a legal proceeding? What are the loopholes? Repetition alone will get you nowhere. You must comprehend this material not memorize it.”

Wanda: But you think you’re an intellectual, don’t you, ape?

Otto: [superior smile] Apes don’t read philosophy.

Wanda: Yes they do, Otto, they just don’t understand it! Now let me correct you on a couple things, okay? Aristotle was not Belgian! The central message of Buddhism is not “Every man for himself!” And the London Underground is not a political movement! Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked ‘em up. Now. You have just assaulted the one man who can keep you out of jail and make you rich. So what are you going to do about it, huh? What would... an intellectual do? What would Plato do?

“But what does that mean? Do you understand it? How would you make use of this passage in a legal proceeding? What are the loopholes? Repetition alone will get you nowhere. You must comprehend this material not memorize it.”

It seems there's a profound connection between creativity and freedom... the magic is how we create the products that police state countries want to buy or steal.

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