Tribes and the american army in Iraq

For the past twenty years, Hosham Dawod has been carrying out research into multi-ethnic and multi-religious groups, and problems associated with power and kinship in Iraq. His studies have led him to assess the adaptability of tribes in general and their role in certain Arab-Muslim societies. Whereas traditionally Iraq was precipitately given the label of being a secular, Arab country following rapid modernisation, it is now presented - equally rapidly - as a 'tribal society', and one incapable of producing a State which can represent the entire Iraqi population in all its diversity. Wars, the embargo, the dictatorship and occupation by foreign armies are undoubtedly the reasons for this. However, this problem which also exists in other divided countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, other countries in central Asia, East and sub-Saharan Africa, Sudan and a number of other non-Muslim societies - is not a secondary phenomenon : it is simply because tribes today are being caught up in today's political problems.