First-Worlders often think of tribes in the past tense - barbarians ransacked much of Europe; many advanced, but often war-like tribes spanned the Americas; and great Mongal tribes conquered Asia on horseback. Tribal societies are still prominent across much of the less-developed world, though. And many of today’s conflicts can be attributed to tribalism.
Tribalism poses a threat to civilized society because terrorist groups see opportunity in ethnic conflict at both the micro-level and transnationally. It is not a coincidence that Al Qaeda has latched on to and amplified tribal disputes wherever it seeks safe haven: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Sahel.
And of course in East Africa, Al Shabaab - whose leadership is inextricably linked to Al Qaeda - has manipulated tribal rifts and affiliation to recruit Somali youth and further destabilize the country, while posing an increasing external threat. Clan identify remains central in most parts of Somalia. The litany of problems including piracy, terrorism, and ethnic violence - all result from and are exacerbated by tribalism.
Some positive news however, is that another group of young Somalis from the Diaspora in the UK are working to eliminate the devastating effects of tribalism. Check out the Anti-Tribalism Movement: “We are one nation, with one religion, one culture, one language, and we are fighting against tribalism.” As we craft policies and strategy to deal with the continued threat of terrorism and other non-state actors, it's important that we not marginalize the role tribalism plays in these conficts.
The opinions and views expressed in this post are those of the author alone and are presented in his personal capacity. They do not necessarily represent the views of U.S. Department of Defense, the US Navy, or any other agency.
Tribalism poses a threat to civilized society because terrorist groups see opportunity in ethnic conflict at both the micro-level and transnationally. It is not a coincidence that Al Qaeda has latched on to and amplified tribal disputes wherever it seeks safe haven: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Sahel.
And of course in East Africa, Al Shabaab - whose leadership is inextricably linked to Al Qaeda - has manipulated tribal rifts and affiliation to recruit Somali youth and further destabilize the country, while posing an increasing external threat. Clan identify remains central in most parts of Somalia. The litany of problems including piracy, terrorism, and ethnic violence - all result from and are exacerbated by tribalism.
Some positive news however, is that another group of young Somalis from the Diaspora in the UK are working to eliminate the devastating effects of tribalism. Check out the Anti-Tribalism Movement: “We are one nation, with one religion, one culture, one language, and we are fighting against tribalism.” As we craft policies and strategy to deal with the continued threat of terrorism and other non-state actors, it's important that we not marginalize the role tribalism plays in these conficts.
The opinions and views expressed in this post are those of the author alone and are presented in his personal capacity. They do not necessarily represent the views of U.S. Department of Defense, the US Navy, or any other agency.
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