Students who discount the Muhammed Ali dynasty cannot possibly grasp
important Egyptian figures like Sa'ad Zaghlul (Egyptian Nationalist), Hassan al-Bannah
(Founder of the Islamic Brotherhood) and Egyptian presidents Nasser and Sadat who
operated in the political climate of non-Arabic speaking King Fouad and his son King
Farouk. The book also explains why Egypt can never return to a monarchy, even one
that may be constitutional. It also serves to illustrate why monarchs fail or succeed in
the Arab world.
Asad: The Struggle for the Middle-East by Patrick Seale. University of
California Press. Berkely, California. 552 pages, 1988.
Hafiz Al-Asad, Syria's late president, has remained one of the most enigmatic
leaders of the modern Middle East. His death this year sparked a radical shift in the
delicate politics of the region. His son, Bashar, was immediately confirmed the leader
of Syria, bypassing any chance for his uncle, Rifaat, who still contests this succession
from exile in London. Patrick Seale has written many books on the Middle East and
this biography of Hafez Al-Asad is an excellent start for FAOs interested in learning
more about Syria and the Levant.
Divided into two parts, the book starts with a young Asad's years as a
Revolutionary. During his childhood he witnessed the divide and conquer tactics of
French colonial rule and the class structure of Syria's tribal society. As an Alawite, a
minority Shiite Muslim sect, his family has a history of both revolt and collaboration with
the French as a means to increase their stature within tribe and community. Asad
settled on the air force career as a means to climb Syria's ladder of power. However,
before his years at the air force academy, he had already developed into an ardent
Arab nationalist and in 1951 was elected to the nation-wide Union of Syrian Students.
Baathism, which is the political system currently in place in Syria and Iraq appealed to
young Asad. The author describes Baath Party founders Salah-el-Din Bitaar and
Michel Aflaq and their vision of a state created with an emphasis on Arab social
nationalism.
The bloody 1958 coup in Iraq was followed closely in Damascus, because it now
seemed possible to be rid of the pro-western Arab monarchies created by French and
British colonialists following WW I. Add to this heady brew the influence of Egypt's
Gamal Abd-Al-Nasser who turned these events into a crusade to rid Algeria, Syria,
Lebanon of French influence and Iraq, the Gulf and Sudan from British control.
Hafez-Al-Asad's climb began in 1962 and culminated in 1970 when he became
president of Syria. Asad's inner-circle, including General Mustafa Tlas, the Defense
Minister, is well covered, as is Asad's leadership during the 1967 Six-Day War, the
1973 Yom-Kippur War and the Lebanon War of 1982. One chapter describes how
Palestinian guerillas fighting a proxy war against Israel in Lebanon created the
opportunity for a Syrian involvement which persists to this day. Other chapters cover the
1984 attempted usurpation of Syria's presidency by Hafez-Al-Asad's brother, Rifaat,
and Syria's alliance with Iran to destabilize Saddam Hussein of Iraq in a geo-political
rivalry that continues to this day. This timely book is highly recommended for newly
designated Mid-East FAOs.
The Janissaries by Godfrey Goodwin. Saqi Books. London, United
Kingdom. 288 pages, Published in 1994 and 1997.
U.S. Forces are cooperating with Arab allies on an unprecedented level and NATO
exercises routinely involve the Turkish Armed Forces. Therefore, understanding the
Ottoman influence on the region is an absolute for those seeking to build coalition
forces. Many modern Arab and North African nations were ruled as
sanjaks (provinces) of the Ottoman Empire. From law to architecture,
nowhere is the influence of Ottoman organization more visible than in the military.
Words like Naqib (Army Captain or Navy Lieutenant), Askari
(Soldier) and a host of other military terms have found their way into current dialects
of Arabic and had its roots in the Ottoman language.
The author, Godfrey Goodwin, is better known for his books on Ottoman
architecture but this work is excellent for the novice wanting to learn not only about the
elite Janissary Corps but the total organization and traditions of the Ottoman land and
sea forces. As an added benefit, the book takes the Ottoman Army and compares
them with the four pillars of the Empire: Sultan, Ulema (Religious
Council and Keepers of the Law), Divan (Council of State) and finally the
merchants who sustained the government and her armed forces. Readers will delve
into truly revolutionary divisions of the Ottoman Army, like the topcus
(artillery), serdengecti (suicide squads), sipahis
(cavalry), gurbas (foreign divisions) and many more descriptions of
specific units within the army.
One-quarter of the Ottoman Army were Janissaries, who averaged 70,000 elite
troops recruited through the Devsirme (Christian Levy) imposed on each
Christian province. This tax on young boys, levied biannually, resulted in the force of
elite fighters that eventually became the Sultan's personal guard. They were full-time
professional soldiers and the tax was created to relieve the Muslim farmers from
providing forces and causing a drain on agricultural manpower. Although outright
kidnapping of these boys occurred, many parents willingly gave up their sons to the
Sultan knowing they would be taught a skill, given a first-class education and perhaps
even rise to become Grand Vizier like Ibrahim Pasha, a Greek Janissary who was the
right hand of Suleiman the Magnificent.
The boys were given Muslim names and sent to learn the skills of war plus another
skill like metallurgy, the law, gardening or baking. Some coveted positions of power
included such as Colonel of a Janissary division or kadiasker (Religious
Judge). The author mentions how Sinan, Grand Architect and designer of many
wonders of the Ottoman world was more proud of his service in the Janissaries than his
accomplishments as an architect. This highly readable book is one of the better ones
on Ottoman history.
2000, Foreign Area Officer Association
Springfield,
Virginia
Maintained by LTC Steve
Gotowicki.
http://www.faoa.org
