"Det strategiska överfallet". Krigskonsten i islams tjänst under Muhammad och i det tidiga Kalifatet
Sammanfattning: In the present work I have studied how the armed forces under Muhammad and the first caliphs were built up and how they operated in the period 622-80. The perspective is that of the history of religion and strategic theory, and comparisons are made with both contemporary and more recent material. The concept of "Strategic surprise attack" formed an important part of the campains that the generals Khalid and 'Amr conducted deep into the East Roman provinces. The strategy the "Messenger of God" Muhammad or generals like Khalid or 'Amr employed, was in no way inferior to that of their enemies. Indeed, their methods for attaining their goals were more aggressive than those of their East Roman enemies.This concept was later on dispersed with, and a more conventional strategy was applied during the century, when more manpower was available. These soldiers comprised specially trained troops of foreign ethnicity that brought with them discipline and know how in the fields of cavalery and naval tactics as well as naval construction. The struggle for people's souls was an integrated part of the build-up and strategy. The campaigns gave a precedent for forms of action on and around the battlefield which have persisted until our own times. During Muhammad's time, the focal point of the concept was the internal struggle, later called al-djihad al-akbar "the greatest effort". This was intended to offset the limited supply of motivated supporters. This struggle on the spiritual level sought to make people mentally prepared to risk life and property in the external struggle, that is, in post-Qur'an terminology, al-djihad al-asghar "the smaller effort" which was more emphasized during the later part of the period when the "Roman fire" made its impact. On the basis of extant descriptions of early military actions, it is possible to discern the way various generals and heads of state thought about strategy and tactics . What prevailed was not a fanatical pragmatic view of the way to resolve military and political issues. Muhammad's own attitude, that even treaties concluded with non-Muslims should be observed, is one of the factors that laid the foundation for the early conquests. To examine the level of strategic thought, I have taken comparative material from roughly contemporary handbooks such as the Strategikon of the Emperor Maurice, and earlier material such as Sun Tzu's The Art of War, as well as present-day strategic theory such as Liddell-Harts Strategy: The Indirect Approach. I also study the leadership exercised by prominent personalities, as revealed by sources for the period 620-80. This is done with the aid of modern theories of leadership, formulated by J. Pfeffer, and the Swedish military handbook Chefen och ledarskapet.
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