Adonis Diaries

Why all these wars?

For a “leader” to sustain a standing army, the army has to be kept on the Move, when the “brass” (high officers) start feeling restless for actions (at the expense of the soldiers).

Throughout history, researchers should re-focus their studies on the main factor that pressured any “leader” to get his standing army on the move.

Against all rational basis, especially in period of peace and validity of treaties that insured stability and economic development, you are told that armies broke all good treaties and invaded and attacked neighboring “Kingdoms”.

Most leaders fear to upset the higher echelon brass in their standing army and the possibilities of being replaced by someone in the kingdom in an army coup.

The best alternative is to please the army and get it on the move, for any reason he is pressured to agree upon.

The Greek, the Roman, Attila the Huns, the Mogul, the Timur Lank, the British Empire, the Napoleon, the Hitler, the Stalin, Japan empire, USA empire… all behaved the same way.

The narrative says that Napoleon lost 300,000 soldiers (killed, injured and handicapped) in every military campaign that he undertook.

Even Saudi monarch Abdul Aziz decided to have a standing army while just one of the Emirs in the Arabic Peninsula.

Sure, then for a total population of less than 2 million on all his land, Abdul Aziz could Not afford a big standing army with scarce resources in taxes from annexed tribes (before the extraction of oil).

Abdul Aziz needed just about 300 mounted fighters, ready at an instant decision and notice, to annex most of the tribes. He would drive for days and nights, non-stop in order for the enemy Not to receive any advanced messengers of his coming.

Many of the fighters fell on the road out of exhaustion, but that was the cost of annexing other antagonistic tribes who refused the Wahhabi brand of Islam.

Abdul Aziz waged many wars on many fronts, one front at a time, when he sensed that the brass of his army felt restless from the peace period and wanted “actions” as customs required.

This future monarch was already the most powerful Emir and most feared by most Emirs, and conquered the land in the eastern region of Assir and Taef… in the south and northers region close to Iraq, Jordan and Syria.

He advanced toward southeast Jordan and quickly withdrew: He was smart enough Not to antagonize the British who has set their plan of a mandated created Jordan.

Once the dust of WW1 settled, and Hussein of Mecca, who enjoyed vast diplomatic connections with the colonial powers, decided to proclaim himself the caliph of all the Moslems… that was the last straw for Abdul Aziz to decide of getting rid of this Kureich family in Mecca and western Arabia.

In 1919, Abdul Aziz attacked Hussein and killed about 4,500 of Hussein fighters.

As the colonial powers recognized Abdul Aziz as the most powerful Emir, the Wahhabi fighters invested Medina and Mecca and ousted the Hashemi dynasty.

Hussein boys were rewarded with created Kingdoms: Abdullah was inaugurated as monarch over Jordan and assassinated in 1949. Faisal was set a monarch over Iraq and assassinated in 1958, with all his family.

It is a great decision to establish Frequent turnover of the brass in an army: kind of let them demonstrate their wrath by marching as Veterans and demanding to punish an imaginary enemy.

Note 1: I have posted many articles on the Wahhabi religious sect and the Saudi Kingdom and how the monarchs were pressured to “export” their extremist elements to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen and Syria.

The extremist occupation of Mecca in 1979 was the alarm signal to open the valve for the internal “Wahhabi Uk-houwan” militia, the “moral” institution.

Note 2: Abdul Aziz “eliminated” the veteran leaders of his army (Al Uk-huwan) at the order of the British because those fighters were too extremist in their Wahhabi doctrine and were ready to demolish al Kaaba as symbol of idolatry as well as the tomb of the Prophet in Medina

Note 3: Ibrahim Basha of Egypt lead a vast military campaign against this Wahhabi tribe and defeated them and ransacked their Capital. The British later supported this tribe with weapons and funds.