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?