Editor's Picks: Why Arab armed forces have lousy reputations

单集文稿 ...

• 00:00

  This episode of Editor's Picks is supported by IDA Ireland.

• 00:04

  With the highest share of STEM graduates per capita in the EU,

• 00:07

  IDA Ireland can help source the skills you need to internationalise and thrive.

• 00:12

  Visit idaireland.com to learn more.

• 00:21

  Hi there, it's Jason Palmer here,

• 00:23

  co-host of The Intelligence, our daily news and current affairs podcast.

• 00:27

  This is Editor's Picks.

• 00:29

  You're about to hear an article from the latest edition of The Economist read aloud.

• 00:33

  Enjoy.

• 00:46

  And yet Arab states are not usually lauded for their martial prowess.

• 00:51

  Many have lousy military reputations.

• 00:54

  They have been repeatedly humiliated in wars with Israel.

• 00:58

  They proved ineffective during the 1991 Gulf War.

• 01:02

  Egypt deployed two armoured divisions,

• 01:05

  but America quickly sidelined them when they struggled to overcome even limited Iraqi resistance.

• 01:11

  Other Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia provided only a handful of troops.

• 01:16

  More recently, despite considerable American military support,

• 01:21

  the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen descended into a quagmire.

• 01:26

  The problem is not a lack of money or hardware.

• 01:29

  Combined military spending across the six Gulf Cooperation Council or GCC countries,

• 全部文稿