The Times of India FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2003 Iraqis alarmed by rising tribal power under US REUTERS RASHDIYEH, Iraq: Sitting in his huge guest room beside his Kalashnikov-wielding son, 70-year-old Sheikh Dhari Faleh says the fall of Saddam Hussein means more power for tribal chieftains like himself. "The power of tribes will flourish in the new Iraq," said Faleh, leader of 17 of the Shi'ite Albu Amer clans from areas around Baghdad. A framed drawing of the family tree hangs on the wall of one of his two guest rooms, called madaif, lined with wooden benches and couches covered with bedouin rugs. "There is chaos everywhere but our militias can restore law and order," Faleh said, as guests began trickling into his madaif to discuss political and social matters. The prospect alarms many Iraqis, who fear that a revival of traditional, conservative tribalism will be an obstacle to the creation of a democratic and modern Iraq. "Tribes cannot be a viable alternative to a modern state," said political analyst Wamidh Nazmi. But with Saddam gone, many are turning to the tribal system to restore order. In southern Baghdad, Sheikh Ali Hashem, leader of the Sunni Ikeidat tribes, sits in his madaif listening to the grievances of people seeking his help in finding cars and furniture stolen from them by looters. His men, all armed, recover the stolen goods in just one day. "The Americans have failed to establish law and order, so the people resort to the sheikh of the tribe. Even Saddam encouraged a role played by tribes," he said, inhaling smoke from a water pipe. "Under Saddam, tribes helped solve 60 per cent of people's problems." Tribal chieftains say Iraqi society is made up of more than 700 disparate tribes that break down into thousands of clans with a wide range of religious and ethnic affiliations. They make up some 80 per cent of Iraq's 26 million population. When the Baath Party came to power in the 1960s, it stripped tribal leaders of much of their power. But during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war and after the Shi'ite Muslims' uprising against the Iraqi government in 1991, Saddam, who belongs to the Albu Nasir tribe in the Tikrit area, tried to woo some tribes. Hostile tribes were punished while the loyal were showered with incentives. The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), the US-led body now running Iraq, has recognised the importance of tribes in Iraq's conservative, clannish society, and reached out to the chieftains to help establish security in their areas of influence in the anarchy that followed Saddam's fall. CPA officials say tribal support is vital to reduce hostility towards US-led forces and provide a counterbalance to the growing power of religious leaders. But some analysts say the revival of tribalism could lead to internal strife and chaos. "A sheikh is a sheikh by birth, there are no elections and no democracy in a tribal structure," said political analyst Saadoun al-Duleimi, himself a member of one of the largest tribes in western Iraq. "It's unfortunate that the Americans are encouraging tribes as political entities because they will only create a power struggle between the chieftains, each of whom believes he is more qualified for leadership." Duleimi said that tribal leaders had historically been less influential than religious leaders, especially among Iraq's Shi'ite majority. CPA officials say tribes are an integral part of Iraqi society, and that the efforts to form an Iraqi interim administration will involve all segments of society. Many tribal chiefs have declared their opposition to the US occupation of Iraq. And a CPA drive to disarm Iraqis has met fierce resistance from leaders of the tribes, which are now more heavily armed than the state. Tribal chiefs have said removing their weapons would be stripping them of their honour. The tribes can rarely achieve unity. Gun battles almost broke out after arguments at recent tribal meetings - some over political issues such as whether to accept or denounce the US occupation, and others caused by disputes over participants interrupting others. Analysts say if the US encourages the tribal revival too much it will be a step backwards. "We are in need of a democratic modern statesman in Iraq not a tribal leader," Duleimi said. Copyright © 2003 Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved.