Victor Davis Hanson on Israel on National Review Online Israelis far better reflect the abject lethality of the Western way of war. The so-called Islamic street believes that sheer numbers and territory � a billion Muslims, a century of oil reserves, and millions of square miles � should mysteriously result in lethal armies. History teaches us that war is rarely that simple. Instead, the degree militaries are westernized � technology that is a fruit of secular research, group discipline arising from consensual societies, logistical efficiency that derives from capitalism, and flexibility that is the dividend from constant public audit and private individualism � determines victory, despite disadvantages in numbers, natural resources, individual genius, or logistics.