“Interesting. However, it does not explain why groups like ISIS are having such success.”
True, it doesn’t say it but isn’t logical to conclude that it boils down to two things?:
1) They don’t think, plan, or act the same way the Arab national armies do - or at least not to the same degree.
2) ISIS is fighting Arab national armies which are all deficient - as the articles point out.
The Kurds - who are not Arabs - have had some bis successes against ISIS even without heavy equipment (gee, thanks for nothing Obama). And the Turks probably could crush ISIS in a matter of weeks. It’s not that ISIS is oh so good. It is that everyone they are fighting is oh so terribly bad.
Also, unlike the typical Arab soldier, ISIS recruits believe in a cause.
Af
From what I’ve read, it seems most Iraqi soldiers were in it for the pay and the pay only. Once any risk presented itself, they dropped their weapons and ran. Afghan soldiers are probably the same way.