Governments are splashing the cash, but that may do little to burnish their armies’ reputations

Qatari special operations personnel conduct a military free-fall Friendship Jump over Qatar. — Photograph: AP

WHEN ARAB air-defence crews helped fend off Iran’s attack on Israel in April, they drew much praise. And yet Arab states are not usually lauded for their martial prowess; many have lousy military reputations. They have been repeatedly humiliated in wars with Israel. They proved ineffective during the 1991 Gulf war; Egypt deployed two armoured divisions but America quickly sidelined them when they struggled to overcome even limited Iraqi resistance. Other Gulf countries, such as Saudi Arabia, provided only a handful of troops. More recently, despite considerable American military support, the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen descended into a quagmire.

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