tribalism

"It's the Tribes, Stupid"

by: Brandon Friedman

Wed Jun 17, 2009 at 13:33:06 PM EDT
The defining characteristic of the enemy--then and now--is not Islamo-fascism or Islamic extremism or Jihadism or terrorism.  I believe it's tribalism and the tribal mindset that give the enemy his power.

--Steven Pressfield

When I was a history major ten years ago, I took a class called Middle East History.  The course was kind of dry, but as an ROTC cadet and aspiring Army officer, one of the assigned books actually got my attention.  It was called Gates of Fire and it was a fictional, first-person account of the battle at Thermopylae--the epic battle between the Spartans and the Persians.  The book was written by historian Steven Pressfield and it has since become a modern military classic, read by junior leaders throughout the services.  In fact, I still have my original copy--with all of my favorite passages marked.

Pressfield has now completed a fascinating five-part series of video blogs on tribalism in Afghanistan called It's the Tribes, Stupid.   Pressfield describes the series this way:

Think of these videos as a crash course in tribalism. Start with Episode 1. I invite discussion. Tell me I'm crazy, tell me I'm out to lunch. If you agree, tell me too.

You can see the first part here, and view the remaining four at Pressfield's site:

I agree with much of what Pressfield says, but not all of it.  The more important aspect of this entire project, however, is that Pressfield is attempting to move a once-obscure topic and perspective into the mainstream--where it no doubt belongs.  If we'd been having the same discussion in 2001 that Pressfield is now spurring in 2009, our military and our national security situation would've been far better off.  But perhaps it's not too late.  So check out the vlog and let him--and us--know your comments!
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