A Soldier with the Arabs

I would like to give a brief view of Lieutenant General Sir John Bagot Glubb more known as "Glubb Pasha". He was born in Preston, Lancashire in England 16 April 1897, and he died 17 March 1986 in Mayfield, Sussex in England and was in command of the Arab League (Transjordan Army) from 1939 and to 1956. In 1956 he became a prominent name and person that was used in the conspiracy between England and France to launch a war against Egypt, to take control of the Suez canal with the help of Israel. The Suez War 1956.

He took part of his education at Cheltenham College and in 1915 he enrolled in the Royal Engineereing Company. In 1920, five years later he was transferred to Iraq as it once was ruled by England in accordance with the decision of the League of Nations. In 1930 he bacame an officer in the Arab League of Jordan, and within a year he organized a dessert patrol of a strenght that only consisted of Beduins, and the task of this patrol was turning down on the problem of raider in the southern part of the country. Within a year he persuaded the Beduins to stop this wickedness among neighboring tribes.

In 1939 he took command of the Arab League from Frederik G. Peake. During the coming years, he managed to build up a department that was the best trained division in the Arab world.

Glubb was  constantly in the service of his homeland in the years he was in the MIddle East, and that made him hugely popular in recent years. Arab nationalists claim that he stood behind pressed against King Husein I of Jordan to accept a membership in the Bagdad Pact. He served in several senior positions within the Arab League, The Transjordan Army. During World War II he led the attack against several Arab leaders in Iraq, likewise against Vichy regiment in Lebanon and Syria.

 On 15 May 1948 Glubbled the Arab League over the Jordan river to occupy the West Bank (Israel), not to fight about it, but by a treaty between the Jewish intelligence and King Abdullah I. Rumors that the King had been in contact with Jewish leaders damaged his reputation in the Artab world. Many of his critics believed that he was ready to compromice on the Palestinian claim if he could take over part of this site to their own country. The mutual struggle of Arabs are prominent ideas of the individual Arab politician opposed to the fight against the Jews, believed Glubb. Azzam Pasha, mufti and the Syrian government would rather see that Jews were Palestine as opposed to the King Abdullah I should take over this area.         

Glubb continued as chief of defense of the West Bank as a part of the peace agreement of March 1949, and as head of the Arab League until March 1956. When he was dismissed by King Hussein I wanted to distance themselves from the English and disliked that Arab nationalists considered Glubb as head of Jordan. The antagonism between King Hussein I and Glubb was prominent brand since 1952, specifically about defense doctrine and promoting the Arab League. Accros this that was prominent in the official puiblic opinion, he remained a close friend of the King. Although he says that he stayed 36 years with the Arabs. In the first 19 years he lived mostly with them and it was rare to encounter Europeans nor speak English in several weeks. In 1920 he traveled to Iraq as an English officer in order to get to the pristin area and apply this adventure simultaneously with acquiring knowledge about modern work in the field. But after five years together with the Arabs, he decided to shift the basis for his future career. He decided to end his service in the British army against making himselves available for the Arabs. This was more emotional urges, for he loved this people. Fourteen years later he was approached to take over command of the Arab League - the army to the smal state Jordan (Transjordan). This was a small army in a small country, but despite it was a state with its own government. This government had communications with other governments - which confirmed that it moved at an international level. After he was to officially head of the Arab League, he for the first time an insight into international politics. He had to sacrifice more and more of his free time when he lived among the Arabs and worked under their provincialism. He had to stay in the capital Amman to meet royals, presidents, cabinet members and ambassadors, and take into account the politics and culture of other countries governments. His first responsibility was now to be ready to defend Jordan.

His area of operation was extended at the same time they plunged into the dark uncertainty of the Second World War, and therefore he had to broaden their mindset to focus on distant targets. West was in his opinion become too dominant in Asia, but it was not intended. Their industrial progression had developed an enormous prosperity, and they had in some time also experienced  a tremendous development, initiative and enthusiasm. Regarding Enland's development has the worldwide power and interest that has build up of individual that took the challenges and not national. But now this period at its lowest ebb, so all time phases. Asia would now come back to themselves as a part of a historical process. We had no rights for this and we had no plans to get this power, but it just happened. With unremitting I objected the idea that East was Eastr and West was West and that both parties could never agree. My experience said that the posibility of living while Arab among Arabs and English among Europeans. Why could not both parties cooperate. Of course there are many differences in  asppearance and temperament, but the differences should not lead to rivalry, otherwise it can lead to harmony and be a complement to the other.

It was my plan to help the Arabs to introduce such ideas methods as a product of what Europe had exelled in. I hoped the Arabs would remain Arabs and stick to the pride of what they had inherited from the past. But while I hoped that they could preserve their traditions in a modern world. Such close cooperation required a really good friendship, sympathy and common trust between Europe and Asia - in reality in my limited range of subjects between Arabs and Englishmen. 1921 and 1951 while Jordan was ruled by King Abdullah, it seemed as if the country made greate strides in this direction. It developed a genuine friendship and trust between the two nations. This to a limited extent in Jordan. All the other Arabs countries, and especially a greater part of Asia was eventually poisoned with hatred and mistrust of the West. In July 1951 King Abdullah was murdered. Gradually there was a change in the country that was previously organized and stood against every power of hatred and envy were gradually undermined. The people on the east side of the Jordan River were my people, and I have aged along with them and my home was among them. But the Union of Trans-Jordan and Palestinians who experienced an immigration of new citizens - a population that had suffered a tremendous injustice because botched western policy. Gradually, Trans-Jordan undermined, but the stalwart country with its moderate political line between East and West was prostrate in a flod of hatered that constantly increased. Exit No one came on 29 February 1956 from the King and the Government of Jordan, and that I had served for 26 years, ordered me to leave the country witin two hours. My dismissal did not lead to any better understanding between them and England and the amount of infringement and hatred only increased with time. Hopelessly I had made the mistake of cooperation and understanding between West and East. When I traveled from Jordan leaving myself an area with hatered and and suspicioed.  

The book "No end of a lesson" by the Secretary Anthony Nutting tells the inside story of the Suez Crisis. In the 1950s it happened much about England's in international politic. Problems surrounding Suez and that Nasser wanted to nationalize the canal was one of many cases involving the Bitish and French in particular, with Israel as a partner. Prime Minister Anthony Eden got the idea that Nasser dictated dismissal of Glubb, which so affected English pride. Many excuses to start a war with Egypt to take control of the canal was the case with Glubb particulary decisive for the decision.