The starting point of Iraqi politics, as David Brooks sees it, is their tribal nature. He writes, “The most salient structure is the local lineage group. National leaders do not make giant sacrifices on behalf of the nation because their higher loyalty is to the sect or clan. Order is achieved not by the top-down imposition of abstract law. Instead, order is achieved through fluid balance of power agreements between local groups.”
Brooks goes on to say that this means political progress in Iraq is of the “bottom up” variety, not “top down,” and, he argues, there has been progress. He cites an ABC news poll indicating that 55% of Iraqis say their lives are getting better ( a rise from 39% last August).
David Brooks, “A Network of Truces (Op-Ed piece),” New York Times, April 8, 2008
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