“Abdulaziz succeeded against daunting obstacles against the wishes of two imperial powers while taking advantage of the changing political environment, creating and inspiring a military force that suited his objectives, and also subduing that very force when it threatened to undo his achievements.”
–Zoltan Barany writing for the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington analyzes formative moments that shaped Gulf Arab militaries including tribalism, King Abdulaziz al-Saud and the Ikhwan, the British legacy, the formation of the UAE and its United Defense Force, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, and the Arab Spring uprisings. [AGSIW]
