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Cactus · 08-29-2007, 15:41 PM

S-2,

It would have been interesting if the article had presented us some trends about tribal affiliations and identity pre-invasion. A number of people observing Iraq have recorded that Iraqi society was lot less religious than its neighbors back then, but has become more religious following the invasion. I would like to know if similar retrogression (from the stated US objective of a stable, progressive Iraq) occurred in matters of tribal idenitity. People revert back to primitive forms of social and political networks during chaos (the "me and my brother against my cousin, me and my cousins against the world" attitude sets in). So if the goal is simply to get any al Queda you can, it is a splendid strategy; but if the ambition extends to creating a modern state capable of destroying al Queda systematically, it may be a bit short-sighted in its after-effects, don't you think?

08-29-2007, 15:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
Cactus Contributor Join Date: 08-01-07 Posts: 714	S-2, It would have been interesting if the article had presented us some trends about tribal affiliations and identity pre-invasion. A number of people observing Iraq have recorded that Iraqi society was lot less religious than its neighbors back then, but has become more religious following the invasion. I would like to know if similar retrogression (from the stated US objective of a stable, progressive Iraq) occurred in matters of tribal idenitity. People revert back to primitive forms of social and political networks during chaos (the "me and my brother against my cousin, me and my cousins against the world" attitude sets in). So if the goal is simply to get any al Queda you can, it is a splendid strategy; but if the ambition extends to creating a modern state capable of destroying al Queda systematically, it may be a bit short-sighted in its after-effects, don't you think? Last edited by Cactus : 08-29-2007 at 15:46 PM.