Are tribal cultures suited to democracy?

[Maisy]

I wasn't sure where this question would go, so if mods could please move it to appropriate forum?

A letter to the Ed in the latest Times mag has gotten me thinking, and I eventually had to ask the question.

This is the original letter:

"The White House naively assumes that all countries are fertile ground for democracy. The layers of tribal fabic that make up Iraq are way too complex. Once American troops leave, the only alternative to a tribal war in Iraq would be the installation of a strongman, a surrogate for Saddam Hussein on a short leash."

I don't have any experience with what a true tribal culture is like, so was unable to judge the validity of the argument.

So, I thought I would ask people who have embedded in indigenous tribal societies everywhere in the world, and open the question up to any tribal society, not just the Iraq/Afganistan war.

In your experience, is it possible to change the way that a tribal society works/thinks to bring in democratic principles at a deep enough level that once you leave the basis of a democratic framework is there?

[lksteve]

Originally Posted by Maisy

I don't have any experience with what a true tribal culture is like, so was unable to judge the validity of the argument.

the Saudi royal family is very much a tribe...a definition from Merriam Websters Collegiate Dictionary "a group of persons, families or clans believed to be descended from a common ancestor..." Somalia is a tribal society, with five major clans...the Tikritis of Iraq could be classified as Saddam's tribe...the first loyalty of a tribal member is to the tribe, not the nation, not the common good, but the tribe...perhaps an example (somewhat dated) closer to home would be the Scottish clans or even the Sicilian families that made up the Mafia...an American style representative government is possible in a heterogenous society because of the diversity...in a society with fewer components, tribal or cultural differences are more noticeable...or one could argue that, at any rate...

[Maisy]

Thanks Iksteve.

When I say no experience, I am talking about the indepth, day-to-day understanding you and others have of how a tribal society works, and more importantly how individual members within that system think and therefore will react to given circumstances. As they say, "book-larnin's no substitute for livin'".

Being raised in a "democratic" society, I don't really understand how a person who was raised in a tribal culture sees the world and their role in it. Therefore, I also don't really understand how difficult/easy it is to change that culture to a more democratic one.

My initial reaction to reading the letter was that there must be a flaw in the argument, else how do societies change/grow/adapt, but I find it interesting that the tribal cultures you mention are all ones which don't have great histories of incorporating/adapting democratic ideals into their structures. The Scots came very close to having their entire society/culture exterminated after Culloden.

[aricbcool]

Originally Posted by Maisy

...open the question up to any tribal society...

North America was one big tribal society before 1492...

As far as the original letter you mentioned, I don't see how their tribal tendencies are so incompatable with democracy. We have many tribes here in America (wether we like it or not). If not familial, than tribes by race, creed, religious or political belief, geographical even. It doesn't stop the system here...

I think it is a poor argument to say that a culture is too complex to adopt democracy. It insults democracy as an inflexible doctrine suited only for simple cultures/simple people. A great example of a democratic republic (which is what we're really talking about here) is the original model that the US was based on: Rome.

In a culture based on class structure, familial, and patriarchal ties, they made it work well enough to last them for 400 years or so.

Regards,
Aric

[Max_Tab]

Of course it is possible to convert from tribal, to a democratic society, it's just not easy, and it will probable take a couple generations, to fully make the transition.

[QRQ 30]

The same argument was put forth concerning Latin America in the fifties. VOILA!!! It does take time.

[lrd]

This reminds me of a discussion NDD started a while back:

http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/...ighlight=state

Is a tribe a security community?

[QRQ 30]

Is the term "Tribe/Tribal" perhaps a Freudian slip indicating we really mean savages.