War in the desert was conducted according to its own particular and ancient traditions. Armies were held together by tribal loyalties and by the leadership qualities of the commander. In most cases the primary motivation for warfare was the prospect of booty. Raiding the caravans which followed the trade routes across the Arabian Peninsula had long been seen as part of the bedouin birthright and tribal rivalries were ever-present to furnish a ready excuse for battle.
Constrained by the location of wells, bedouin forces crossed the desert along well-known routes. Where and when battle was joined was often as much a matter of chance as strategic planning and, once battle was joined, the outcome depended largely on the commitment of individual warriors. This was not a war of attrition, as developed and honed by the military strategists of western Europe. This was not generally war for the conquest of land (the conquest of land had little meaning for a nomadic people) This was a war in which the spoils of battle were the prize, in which the charisma of a leader or the courage of an individual fighter could win the day and in which the rules of engagement could still accommodate notions of honor and chivalry.
In the case of Ibn Saud, the force of his personality was paramount.
