Publication

This paper examines the role Sunni tribes play in local governance in Iraq and where they fit in amongst the various parties which are involved in the country's ongoing political and sectarian conflicts. In particular, the author discusses 1) the complexities of defining what constitutes a tribe in the context of Middle Eastern society; and 2) the relations tribes in Iraq at a local level have had with the central government, the US led coalition forces which occupied the country following 2003, al-Qaeda, and later the so-called Islamic State.