Challenge: Middle East War in the 90s

MacCaulay

Banned
Okay, this is kind of an odd challenge coming from me, but I'm going to be doing a wargame next weekend and we're under some odd restrictions.

So...here's your challenge.

Come up with a logical war scenario that involves a united Arab world fighting the Israelis with the Soviets/Russians in Iran and the US at Bandar Abbas fighting each other also.

I know this seems like the kind of thing I'd be able to do, but you'd be surprised...I'm drawing a blank.
 
No wonder you are drawing a blank - that is essentially world war III with the Soviets and the Americans fighting each other in Iran. Can't see how a Arab-Israeli war would be fought separately but concurrently. Maybe that's just it - world war III being used as a cover with Syria convincing the rest of the Arab world to unite and push Israel out of the Golans, West Bank and Gaza Strip?
 
90's? First, you need an arab nuclear capacity sufficient to deter the Israelis from nuking _them_.

Secondly, united Arab response? Most unlikely: the Saudis and Gulf states aren't going to get into a mess like that, and the Mahgreb states have never really done much in the way of actual military support during the Arab-Israeli wars, and the logistics are such that they are unlikely to achieve much anyway. Unless you are assuming some sort of "United Arab republic succeeds big-time", it is going to be confined to the Usual Suspects of Syria, Egypt, Jordan and maybe Iraq.


Bruce
 
Without doing the research, something like that

1979: Coup in Egypt. Fanatic takes power
Iranian revolution, Soviet embassy taken hostage. Saddam attack Iran.

1980: The Soviet rescue with a large airborn operation supported by land forces. Sovit forces keep certain positions
Saudi coup. Fanatic takes power

1981: Iraqi attack bogged down. Attacks on shipping by both Iranians aind Iraqis.

1982: US forces land in Iran as part of the US operation to protect shipping.
Saddam killed in the war. Fanatic takes power.

1983: The fanatics and Iran team up and attack Israel while US and Soviet forces fight a number of small squirmishes in Iran.

It feels great making some ordinary AH on the board instead of the Chat-thingy.
 
These fanatics: are they the grey-skinned kind with slanty black eyes, or the reptilian kind with ties to the British monarchy? :D

Bruce
 

The Sandman

Banned
To get the Saudis et al on board, give them some reason to worry about an alliance between their military forces and Islamist political elements with the object of launching coups against the House of Saud and the assorted sheiks along the Gulf. Such an alliance wouldn't much outlive the sheiks, of course, but it doesn't have to for the desired effect.

In order to head this off at the pass, the Saudis and company decide to burnish their own Islamist credentials by contributing heavily to the war against Israel, including volunteer battalions from the people who would have joined Al Qaeda in OTL. If Israel loses, the sheiks can claim the glory. If Israel wins, the main supporters of the coup attempts will be dead. For the sheiks personally, it's a win-win situation.
 
1979 Soviet attack Afghanistan
1981 Khomeini declear unity of Shiah and Sunni to fight against Soviet.
1985 Soviet victory in Afghanistan
1986 Soviet attack Iran.
1987 Islamic Revolution in Egypt
1988 Fall of Teharan
1989 Secret negotiate between Israel and Soviet.
1990 Israel attack Egypt and Syria.
1991 Soviet attack Iraq
1992 Amercan sent troop to Persian Gulf.
 
A year before Saddam invaded Kuwait, Israel got his attention. It was 1 or 2 years after the Iraq/Iran war and finally he got his hands free. The Isareli attack on the OSIRAK nuclear facilities still clear on his mind. MiG-29 and Su-25 flew rec mission in Jordan airspace to chart the Israeli radarposts. You can take this as a start.
 
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