| Summary/Abstract |
The breakdown of nation states in the Middle East has precipitated a regression to the fundamental tribal identity. The success of al-Qaeda and ISIS later on in mobilizing the tribes for the insurgency in Iraq was due to their ability to reach out to the correct nodes of tribal influence. But their failure was also to a great extent due to their ignoring of tribal mores and sensitivities. Regimes in the region are aware of the risks of this trend, and in some countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan, the leaderships are trying to strengthen the state at the expense of the tribes. Nevertheless, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya have already devolved totally into “re-tribalised” societies and Jordan and Saudi Arabia are vulnerable. The Sunni-Shiite divide is also superimposed on the tribal factor as it serves to unite tribes against a common enemy. Where borders of the nation state remain intact, they now co-exist with fuzzy areas of tribal influence with minimal governance.
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