Quote Originally Posted by Stu-6 View Post
My question for those who would find fault with this piece’s over simplification is do you know of a better work on the subject of a similar length? Obviously complex ideas have been simplified but if they weren’t any discussion of the effects of tribalism on the current conflict would be hundreds of pages in length.
Well, not a "similar length", but certainly not hundreds of pages either...

The article jcustis posted the link to is well worth the read, as is this other material...

Earlier SWC threads:

Wars Less About Ideas Than Extreme Tribalism

An Adaptive Insurgency: Confronting Adversary Networks in Iraq

3rd Generation Gangs and the Iraqi Insurgency

SSI: Tribal Alliances: Ways, Means, and Ends to Successful Strategy

USIP: Who Are the Insurgents? Sunni Arab Rebels in Iraq

Blog Excerpts: Iraq's tribal society: A state within a state , 4 parts