2008/03/26 by Austin Long
Social Sciences · #Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East #Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence #Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts
paper · doi:10.1080/00396330802034283
The United States and it allies in Iraq have embraced a tribal strategy to provide security and fight al–Qaeda in Mesopotamia. This approach is not new. Saddam Hussein also sought to use tribal alliances to provide internal security. His experience, and that of the present–day Coalition, demonstrates the prospects and perils of using tribes to provide security. Tension exists between the United States’ two main strategic goals of defeating al–Qaeda in Mesopotamia and building a democratic, unified Iraq. There is also the danger that Iraqi tribes will defect from the Coalition in future.