tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221719.post8334246750213292805..comments2024-02-16T19:15:30.213-05:00Comments on Brian's Coffeehouse: Tribal SegmentationBrian Ulrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986631330360998134noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221719.post-76861760254916250622011-02-28T21:06:20.495-05:002011-02-28T21:06:20.495-05:00Libya's provinces seem like they were more det...Libya's provinces seem like they were more detached than Iraq's to me. Basra always had economic and often had political ties to Baghdad, and Mesopotamia is a long-standing corridor for many things. Libya, however, was really just three regions that got lumped together.<br /><br />I'm actually not done with the book yet. Life is busy.Brian Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06986631330360998134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221719.post-13061535448390272112011-02-26T08:32:31.338-05:002011-02-26T08:32:31.338-05:00This is a really interesting post re. not just tri...This is a really interesting post re. not just tribal politics in Libya but how to approach the broader topic in the region. The ways in which centres of power actively seek to de-tribalise, re-tribalise etc. attest to how the tribal structures are also constructs which can be activated (though not entirely controlled) through state patronage and policy. Far from being a primordial identity, there is so much more behind it's manifestations.<br /><br />I too was reading A History of Modern Libya and was struck by the author's concept of statelessness. One could easily compare Libya to Iraq (3 provinces put together, massive oil reserves etc.), but I want to ask why do you think there was no attempt to function in the way the revolutionary regimes in Iraq and Egypt did (i.e. state-lead developmentalsm)?<br /><br />Clearly there is the time lag, 69 versus 52 and 58, but do you see the differences to be more structural or actually a reflection of Gaddafi's personality and convictions? <br /><br />Given Gaddafi would need to maintain power, I'm not sure the idea of statelessness captures it all. Perhaps state power with no state infrastructure shows up the contradictions more. <br /><br />Thanks for the post though! Your thoughts would be most appreciated!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com