Middle East 101, Week V

An introduction to the Muslim Brotherhood

Banna established the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928

Notes from last week

Here’s the video of our discussion of the 1948 war. Scott Fraser had a terrific insight into the Arabs’ military failure: What he suggested had never occurred to me (which is why every time I teach anything related to a war, I always ask, “Who here has a military background?”)¹

To complement his observations, here’s the article Arun recommended about why Arabs lose wars, and Arun was right—it’s outstanding. Had I known about it, I would have assigned it. But it would be dangerous to take it as gospel, however persuasive it is. The conviction that Arabs can’t fight their way out of a paper bag, I’d wager, is among the reasons Israeli analysts dismissed the signs that Hamas was planning a massive attack.