Mustering the Tribe
Steven Pressfield responds at It’s the Tribes, Stupid to Fabius Maximus, Michael Yon and….me!
What I Would Say Differently If I Were Saying It Again
“Good” Tribalism and “Bad” Tribalism
I would define “bad” tribalism as that practiced by the Taliban and al-Qaeda. I know, I know . . . critics will say that both those groups are pan-Islamic, ideology-driven, supra-national, propelled more by Salafism and Deobandism than pure tribalism. I would not argue with that.
But if we probe beneath the surface, we recognize virulent tribalism at the heart of the belief systems of both the Taliban and al-Qaeda. I would cite the following “bad” tribal characteristics: hostility to all outsiders; perpetual warfare; codes of silence; duplicity and bad faith in all negotiations with non-insiders; suppression of women; intolerance of dissent; a fierce, patriarchal code of warrior honor; a ready and even eager willingness to give up one’s life for the group; super-conservatism, politically and culturally; reverence for the past and, in fact, a desire to return to the past.
Defined in relation to its opposites, “bad” tribalism takes its stand against everything open, inclusive, modern, progressive, secular, individualistic, Western, female-empowering.
What about “good” tribalism? “Good” tribalism is the ancient, proud, communal system of family- and clan-based local governance that has been practiced in Afghanistan and many parts of Central Asia for millennia. Tribal jirgas resolve disputes and give a voice to all members; tribal militias protect the land and the people. “Good” tribalism wants to be left alone to live its own life. In a way it’s democracy in its purest and most natural “town hall” form. It has worked for thousands of years and it’s working today….
Read the rest here.
July 16th, 2009 at 8:55 am
"What about “good” tribalism? “Good” tribalism is the ancient, proud, communal system of family- and clan-based local governance that has been practiced in Afghanistan and many parts of Central Asia for millennia. Tribal jirgas resolve disputes and give a voice to all members; tribal militias protect the land and the people. " LOL
Really, I read the post, is this a joke? I mean, maybe it’s how an afghan elder would like us to think about it but you just have to read ghost of Alexander (the blog) or read Guistozzi’s book(Koran, Kalashnikov and laptop) to understand that’s more complicated than that.
Villages have their own power structure with their "haves" and "have not". There’s no point in idealizing a power structure, it’s just there. Conveniently, our interest are aligned with it. But there’s also people in these communities who have no interest in maintaining this power structure, maybe they’re poor, maybe they don’t like the elders, maybe they wherever the wind is blowing. Who knows? They defend their own interests.
Besides, yes tribal elders are targeted but not always, depends on the region. This seems like another attempt to build a simple narrative and it’s not a good idea.
July 16th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Hi ZI
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I do read Ghost of Alexander from time to time and have read more than a little on Afghanistan and Islam. I do not think though that I ( or you) or postdoc anthropologists are Pressfield’s target audience to whom he’s giving a simplified introduction. Agree with you on the alignment of interests and that joining the Taliban or some other warlord might appeal to younger, poorer, males without status or opportunities.
July 16th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Honestly, I had never heard of Pressfield until the whole "tribe debate". And I really don’t think giving "simplified introduction" is a good idea.Not when we deal with very serious problems, IMO. We shouldn’t hide complexity, I would rather drown in it. Anyway, I will complain on his blog.
July 16th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I understand. I prefer complexity too, in subjects for which I have an aptitude.
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However, if you ask me to jump into a discussion of electrical engineering or animal husbandry, I will need the simplified introduction first in order to even get started learning. A significant number of people are in that boat when it comes to social science subjects or history. They need to crawl before they can run with the pack. As we learn more, we can handle greater levels of complexity and multiple points of view – it’s a good thing if someone who has never cared about foreign affairs reads Pressfield’s blog and then gets inspired to pick up a book on Afghanistan or the Taliban or Islam.