Political Tribes

The bestselling author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Yale Law School Professor Amy Chua offers a bold new prescription for reversing our foreign policy failures and overcoming our destructive political tribalism at home Humans are tribal. We need to belong to groups. In many parts of the world, the group identities that matter most – the ones that people will kill and die for – are ethnic, religious, sectarian, or clan-based. But because America tends to see the world in terms of nation-states engaged in great ideological battles – Capitalism vs. Communism, Democracy vs. Authoritarianism, the “Free World” vs. the “Axis of Evil” – we are often spectacularly blind to the power of tribal politics. Time and again this blindness has undermined American foreign policy. In the Vietnam War, viewing the conflict through Cold War blinders, we never saw that most of Vietnam’s “capitalists” were members of the hated Chinese minority. Every pro-free-market move we made helped turn the Vietnamese people against us. In Iraq, we were stunningly dismissive of the hatred between that country’s Sunnis and Shias. If we want to get our foreign policy right – so as to not be perpetually caught off guard and fighting unwinnable wars – the United States has to come to grips with political tribalism abroad. Just as Washington’s foreign policy establishment has been blind to the power of tribal politics outside the country, so too have American political elites been oblivious to the group identities that matter most to ordinary Americans – and that are tearing the United States apart. As the stunning rise of Donald Trump laid bare, identity politics have seized both the American left and right in an especially dangerous, racially inflected way. In America today, every group feels threatened: whites and blacks, Latinos and Asians, men and women, liberals and conservatives, and so on. There is a pervasive sense of collective persecution and discrimination. On the left, this has given rise to increasingly radical and exclusionary rhetoric of privilege and cultural appropriation. On the right, it has fueled a disturbing rise in xenophobia and white nationalism. In characteristically persuasive style, Amy Chua argues that America must rediscover a national identity that transcends our political tribes. Enough false slogans of unity, which are just another form of divisiveness. It is time for a more difficult unity that acknowledges the reality of group differences and fights the deep inequities that divide us.

Amy Chua’s book Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations (2018) explains how American elites have long failed to recognize the importance of exclusive groups based on shared religious and ethnic identifications, both abroad and at home. Americans correctly understand their nation as having united people from a variety of ethnic, religious, and social groups under a single banner… Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

Book Summary of Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations Political Tribes by Amy Chua is an engaging insight into humanity’s innate tribalism. Humans need to belong to groups and maintain fulfilling bonds with others. Tribalism is not only about inclusion in a group, it is also about exclusion to those outside of the group. Group identity in one’s tribe is not based on the country they live in, it is actually “ethnic, regional, religious, sectarian, or clan based.” The United States is as tribal as any other nation despite its melting pot of ethnicities and cultures. U.S. foreign policymakers over the decades have been totally blinded by its ideology, emphasis of capitalism and democracy, and derision of communism. Lessons were not learned and the same mistakes were made repeatedly in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Our foreign interventions turned swaths of the populations we were trying to help against us, empowering anti-American extremists in the process.

Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations by Amy Chua: Conversation Starters "Political Tribes" is a book written by bestseller author Amy Chua. In it, she argues that Americans tend to always regard the world in terms of countries engaged in great ideological combats, for example Democracy vs. Authoritarianism or Capitalism vs. Communism. Chua defines this as a blindness that is responsible for undermining American foreign policy. She claims America must find a national identity that goes beyond political tribes. She says that slogans of unity are false and just another form of discord and calls for a different type of harmony, a more difficult one, that recognizes and fights the reality of tribe inequities and differences. "Political Tribes" enjoyed a great success; reaching Amazon's best sellers rank shortly after it was published. The Financial Times called it an important book that presents in a clear way how America's liberals contributed to Trump's election by failing to... A Brief Look Inside: EVERY GOOD BOOK CONTAINS A WORLD FAR DEEPER than the surface of its pages. The characters and their world come alive, and the characters and its world still live on. Conversation Starters is peppered with questions designed to bring us beneath the surface of the page and invite us into the world that lives on. These questions can be used to... Create Hours of Conversation: - Promote an atmosphere of discussion for groups - Foster a deeper understanding of the book - Assist in the study of the book, either individually or corporately - Explore unseen realms of the book as never seen before Disclaimer: This book you are about to enjoy is an independent resource meant to supplement the original book. If you have not yet read the original book, we encourage you to before purchasing this unofficial Conversation Starters.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1980.

How do we consider ethics in an era in which "politics has become personal" and polarized into the "package deals" offered by the Left and the Right?

Summary of Amy Chua's Political Tribes: group instinct and the fate of nations Important note TO READERS this is a summary and analysis companion e book based on Amy Chua's Political Tribes: group instinct and the fate of nations. This isn't always supposed to supplement your original reading experience, but instead enhance it. We strongly encourage you to buy the original book. Political Tribes by Amy Chua is an interesting insight into humanity's innate tribalism. People want to belong to groups and keep fulfilling bonds with others. Tribalism isn't best about inclusion in a group; it is also about exclusion to those outside of the group. group identification in one's tribe is not based at the country they live in, it is really "ethnic, regional, religious, sectarian, or clan based." the USA is as tribal as any other country regardless of its melting pot of ethnicities and cultures. U.S. foreign policymakers over the decades were completely blinded by its ideology, emphasis of capitalism and democracy, and derision of com-monism. Instructions were no longer found out and the same mistakes were made repeatedly in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Our foreign interventions turned swaths of the populations we had been trying to help against us, empowering anti-American extremists in the system. The popularity of Donald Trump the politician can be attributed to group identity as America's elites entirely discarded the tribal factor of American politics and the "powerful anti-establishment identity forming within the working class that helped choose Donald Trump." Chua calls the U.S. "a tribe of tribes" and a "super-group," membership of that is open to all of us of any background. but, those people can keep their subgroup identity (ethnicity, religion, culture). The United States is now witnessing the beginnings of ethno nationalism in lots of respects, propelled by a significant backlash against the status quo, followed by a reciprocal backlash from the ones elites towards the hundreds, and "the transformation of democracy into an engine of zero-sum political tribalism." Chua offers wish within the Epilogue, describing an America that has a chance to show this division around if we view each other as fellow people and fellow Americans who normally need the identical issue for ourselves and our United States of America. Purchase YOUR copy today! Find out about the political tribes of our nation, and the way they could affect YOU!

Much of Guyana’s 20th century history was defined by the PNC dictatorship and the political and economic wreckage it left behind. In “Guyana’s Great Economic Downswing, 1977 to 1990”, Dr Ramesh Gampat presents a comprehensive study of these specific years when the national economy contracted by 2.7 percent annually. He explores the multiple facets of the country’s political tribalism which “does not value freedom, liberty and the flourishing of all people; it values only freedom, liberty and flourishing of tribes.” The study reinforces the widely held belief that until and unless these adversarial groups subsume their respective selfish interests and commit to the common cause of national peace and development, the great downswing might not rest as a historical event but could well re-emerge with further economic devastation if the lessons go unheeded. Dr Gampat makes a strong case for federalism as a solution to Guyana’s ethnic politics. Federalism, he posits, would ensure that all Guyanese have equal access to opportunities and resources since a system of provincial governance would be better placed to address discriminatory policies and practices at a localised level. With the country sitting on the cusp of transformative development to be propelled by new-found oil wealth, there is an urgency to settle the divisive politics if every Guyanese is to benefit fairly and equitably from the economic boom. “Guyana’s Great Economic Downswing, 1977 to 1990” offers up a studied and comprehensive analysis that should be part of that bipartisan discourse going forward. --- Ryhaan Shah, Novelist, Social Activist A few piecemeal academic articles analyzing Guyana’s economic evolution over the period 1977 to 1990 were written, but they are scattered and lost away in various journals. What was missing is a comprehensive and rigorous exploration of the era of Cooperative Socialism. Dr. Ramesh Gampat’s book fills this gap. It is a superb synthesis of historical, theoretical and econometric exploration of the Great Downswing. The book not only provides estimates of important macroeconomic concepts such as Guyana’s total factor productivity and long-term growth, but also produces the useful statistics and reviews of poverty, inequality, life expectancy, education outcomes as well as a detailed analysis of the rice sector. As if these are not enough, Gampat sets the tone by situating the exploration in the country’s long standing and debilitating ethno-political dynamics. This self-contained book will be of tremendous use to policy makers, journalists and students interested in the historical context of present-day outcomes. I highly recommend this book to public libraries and home reference libraries. ---Tarron Khemraj, William and Marie Selby Professor of Economics and International Studies, New College of Florida

Summary and Analysis based on Amy Chua's Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations || Summarized by Brief Books IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This is a summary and analysis companion book based on Amy Chua's Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations. This is not meant to supplement your original reading experience, but rather enhance it. We strongly encourage you to purchase the original book at the following link: https://amzn.to/2qM1yRF Political Tribes by Amy Chua is an engaging insight into humanity's innate tribalism. Humans need to belong to groups and maintain fulfilling bonds with others. Tribalism is not only about inclusion in a group, it is also about exclusion to those outside of the group. Group identity in one's tribe is not based on the country they live in, it is actually "ethnic, regional, religious, sectarian, or clan based." The United States is as tribal as any other nation despite its melting pot of ethnicities and cultures. U.S. foreign policymakers over the decades have been totally blinded by its ideology, emphasis of capitalism and democracy, and derision of com-munism. Lessons were not learned and the same mistakes were made repeatedly in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Our foreign interventions turned swaths of the populations we were trying to help against us, empowering anti-American extremists in the process. The popularity of Donald Trump the politician can be attributed to group identity as America's elites entirely discarded the tribal aspect of American politics and the "powerful anti-establishment iden-tity forming within the working class that helped elect Donald Trump." Chua calls the U.S. "a tribe of tribes" and a "super-group," membership of which is open to anyone of any background. However, these individuals can maintain their subgroup iden-tity (ethnicity, religion, culture). America is now witnessing the beginnings of ethnonationalism in many respects, propelled by a significant backlash against the establishment, followed by a reciprocal backlash from those elites against the masses, and "the transformation of democracy into an engine of zero-sum political tribalism." Chua offers hope in the Epilogue, describing an America that has a chance to turn this division around if we view each other as fellow human beings and fellow Americans who mostly want the same thing for ourselves and our country. BUY YOUR COPY TODAY! Learn about the political tribes of our nation, and how they can affect YOU!

Tribes and Politics in Yemen tells the story of the Houthi conflict in Sa'dah Province, Yemen, as seen through the eyes of the local tribes. In the West the Houthi conflict, which erupted in 2004, is often defined through the lenses of either the Iranian-Saudi proxy war or the Sunni-Shia divide. Yet, as experienced by locals, the Houthi conflict is much more deeply rooted in the recent history of Sa'dah Province. Its origins must be sought in the political, economic, social and sectarian transformations since the 1960s civil war and their repercussions on the local society, which is dominated by tribal norms. From the civil war to the Houthi conflict these transformations involve the same individuals, families and groups, and are driven by the same struggles over resources, prerogatives, and power. This book is based on years of anthropological fieldwork expertise both on the ground and through digital anthropological approaches. It offers a detailed account of the local complexities of the Houthi conflict and its historical background and underscores the absolute imperative of understanding the highly local, personal, and non-ideological nature of internal conflict in Yemen.

Recent research in Africa has shown a wide range of political systems, from small societies of wandering hunters to large states of several million people comparable with mediaeval European feudal kingdoms. In between are many societies in which a central government is lacking; the political system is based upon a balance of power between many small groups, which with their lack of classes or specialized political offices, have been called 'ordered anarchies'. First published in 1958.

Gulf societies are often described as being intensely tribal. However, in discussions of state building and national identity, the role of tribalism and tribal identity is often overlooked. This book analyses the political role of tribes in Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE aiming to understand the degree to which tribes hinder or advance popular participation in government and to what extent they exert domestic political power. The research traces the historical relationship between ruling elites and nomadic tribes, and, by constructing political histories of these states and analysing the role of tribes in domestic political life and social hierarchies, reveals how they serve as major political actors in the Gulf. A key focus of the book is understanding the extent to which societies in the Gulf have become 're-bedouinised' in the modern era and how this has shaped these states' political processes and institutions. The book explores the roles that tribes play in the development of “progressive” citizenship regimes and policymaking today, and how they are likely to be influential in the future within rentier environments.

Offering a fuller understanding of the complexities and particular patterns of state formation in regions where tribes have exercised a significant influence, this volume focuses on the continuing existence of tribal structures and systems in contemporary times, within contemporary nation-states. The contributors offer hypotheses as to why these groups have managed to survive and what impact they have had on modern states ... --backcover.

Placing Iran's 'tribal problem' in its historical context, Tribal Politics in Iran provides an overall assessment on the impact of this crucial period on the character of tribe-state relations in Iran to the end of Pahlavi rule and in the Islamic Republic. It analyzes the political and socio-economic factors undermining tribal politics under the regime of Reza Shah, and examines the division which took place regarding the 'tribal problem'. The author argues that on the one hand, it lead to modern ethnic nationalism and on the other, detribalization and absorption into wider class or ideology-based organizations happened. Looking particularly at the land reform of the early 1960s, and the revolution of 1979, Cronin also discusses the final disappearance of the khans as a political force and the rise of a new tribal leadership loyal to and dependent upon the regime. This innovative and important work challenges conventional political and scholarly approaches to tribal politics.

"A pacesetter, at the forefront in recognizing the persisting importance of 'ethnicity as a force both in building nations and in tearing them apart, ' it is also a work of literary merit, crafted by a master wordsmith." So comments Lucian Pye in reflecting on this classic work in political science and sociology about group identities bending and shaping themselves under the pressure of political change. These transformations seem to have basic similarities, whether they take place in Little Rock or Kenya, Vietnam or Pakistan, Belgium or Biafra. Isaacs sorts out some fundamentals in forming group identity: the body, names, language, history of origins, religion, and nationality. These are dynamic elements that are melded together but have the possibility of creating new pluralisms. Diane Ravitch wrote in Commentary "Isaacs's survey of global pluralism is enormously helpful in broadening our perspective, and should be required reading for anyone who cares about the shape of ethnicity in America."

There is an urgent need for a book which combines the approaches of political science/sociology and history and particularly comparative politics with ethnic studies. There are currently many rapid and significant changes taking place in the world political map in terms of ethnic conflict. How do we explain these changes? How do we analyse them? How can we compare them? How do we make sense of the different ethnic conflicts that have taken place since the end of the Cold War, in what some observers have dubbed 'the New World Order'? Few books on the market combine the diverse approaches of political science, sociology and history at any level of analysis. This work will remedy at least some of the deficiencies in the existing literature and be truly interdisciplinary in nature.

Recognized tribes are increasingly prominent players in settler state governance, but in the wide-ranging debates about tribal self-governance, little has been said about tribal self-constitution. Who are the members of tribes, and how are they chosen? Tribes in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States are now obliged to adopt written constitutions as a condition of recognition, and to specify the criteria used to select members. Tribal Constitutionalism presents findings from a comparative study of nearly eight hundred current and historic tribal constitutions, most of which are not in the public domain. Kirsty Gover examines the strategies adopted by tribes and states to deal with the new legal distinction between indigenous people (defined by settler governments) and tribal members (defined by tribal governments). She highlights the important fact that the two categories are imperfectly aligned. Many indigenous persons are not tribal members, and some tribal members are not legally indigenous. Should legal indigenous status be limited to persons enrolled in recognized tribes? What is to be done about the large and growing proportion of indigenous peoples who are not enrolled in a tribe, and do not live near their tribal territories? This book approaches these complex questions head-on. Using tribal membership criteria as a starting point, this book provides a critical analysis of current political and sociolegal theories of tribalism and indigeneity, and draws on legal doctrine, policy, demographic data and tribal practice to provide a comparative evaluation of tribal membership governance in the western settler states.