Iraq: Tribal Structure, Social, and Political Activities

Abstract

For centuries the social and political organization of many Iraqi Arabs has centered on the tribe. Socially, tribes were divided into related sub-tribes, which further divided into clans, and then into extended families. Seventy-five percent of Iraq's estimated 26 million people are a member of a tribe. They are more strongly bound by these tribal ties and a strict honor code than by ethnic background or religion. This report describes the political orientation of several Iraqi Arab tribes, including the Shammar, Dulaym, and Jibur tribes. This report will be updated as warranted. For further information on Iraq and U.S. policy, see CRS Report RL31339, Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security, by Kenneth Katzman.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 15, 2007
Accession Number
ADA464737

Entities

People

  • Hussein D. Hassan

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Arabia
  • Families (Human)
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Information Operations
  • Law Enforcement
  • Middle East
  • New York
  • Personnel Management
  • Religion
  • Resource Management
  • Rural Areas
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Security
  • Terrorists

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Organizational Psychology.