Tribalism Drives Middle East Violence
15th December 2016
The pervasive and continuous conflict in the Middle East–between clans, tribes, sects, and religions–is a manifestation of this culture. Middle Eastern history is largely a record of tribal conflicts and displacements, expansions and conquests, and invasions and dynastic replacements. “The Arabs are not in a wretched state – they are in a tribal state, and they are doing what they have been doing since time immemorial: conquering each other, demanding allegiance, and living in a state of perpetual war,” writes analyst Hussain Abdul-Hussain. “The only difference now is that the Arabs are feuding in cities, and on TV and social media instead of in the desert.”