What tribal societies can tell us about justice and liberty

[jmm99]

the Canuck in sunny Ottawa, as opposed to Marc who is in sunny Africa. I know your mother was not a librarian, but I still think you have a library lurking in your ancestry. That is because you cause me to jump outside my own box and look at "foreign species".

Anyway, as to "geographical determinism" and Tainter (and Diamond), I ran into a few references which seemed relevant (and since I am on another computer wanted to save for downloading later tonite):

On Social Collapse and Jared Diamond.

An Austrian Reexamination of Recent Thoughts on the Rise and Collapse of Societies.

Starkey, Chapter 1 The Theoretical Framework - Ecology, Economy and Society.

Collins, Understanding and Closing the Gaps.

NOMADS, TRIBES, AND THE STATE IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST.

It seems logical to me that the collapse or near-collapse of societies is a concern in Small Wars (i.e., those armed conflicts where at least one side is represented by irregular forces); especially to those of us who are interested in the "civil affairs" side of the equation (the "political struggle").

Regards

Mike