Arab militaries and the Arab Awakening

摘要

The upheavals that have shaken the Arab world since December 2010 have to a large extent been shaped by the behaviour of the security services in each country. As of December 2011, no clear pattern had emerged, and differences in the employment, cohesion, performance and effectiveness of military and internal security forces were notable throughout the region. These differences can be explained by factors such as varying levels of pay and benefits; sectarian, political and tribal loyalties; internal organisation; differentiation between, and selective deployment of, units; professionalism and politicisation of the senior ranks; and use of foreign mercenaries.