"Arabs Can't Fight"? Tell That to the Algerians — An Open Letter to Col. Lawrence Wilkerson

From Algeria to Gaza, from Lebanon to Yemen, the historical record tells a very different story.

Yahya Sinwar, an Arab, fought to his last breath against one of the most technologically advanced militaries on earth, armed and funded by the most powerful empire in history.

Dear Col. Wilkerson,

I have followed your commentary for some time and have respected much of what you’ve said about American foreign policy, Iraq, and the costs of empire. That’s exactly why your recent remarks about Arabs being unable to fight — and the Israelis being “lucky” because Arabs only “fight among themselves” — were so disappointing. The disclaimer that you weren’t “trying to be racist” doesn’t neutralize the claim; it underlines that you knew how it would sound and said it anyway.

The historical record dismantles the premise.

The Algerians fought one of the most determined anti-colonial wars of the 20th century and broke the French empire’s grip on North Africa. The Lebanese forced the Israeli military out of southern Lebanon in 2000 and fought it to a standstill in 2006 — an outcome studied in war coll…