Full of sound and fury

DESPITE the Middle East’s bloody reputation, most of the region’s generals have been able to kick off their boots for much of the past few decades. Apart from a few gruesome interludes, such as Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait or the nearly decade-long war it fought with Iran in the 1980s, the major Arab powers have not had to do much fighting since reaching peace deals or durable ceasefires with Israel after the war in 1973.