Tribal Alignment Formation and Side-Switching in Civil Wars: Iraq as a Case Study

• In Event: Actors and Strategies of Violence in the Middle East

Abstract

Tribes as historically rooted social organizations are essential stakeholders in many conflict-ridden states, whether Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Nigeria, or Yemen. Despite their distinct role in conflicts, these actors are neglected in scholarly literature. Acting in line with different motivations than other non-state actors, tribes react to prevalent challenges within conflicts by aligning with a warring side or by switching sides. The complex (re)alignments of tribes generate the questions of why during civil wars some tribes align with rebels while others align with states, and why some tribes switch alignments. Drawing on the literature concerning alliance formation and the balance of threat, I argue that tribes form and switch alignments based on their perception of threats to their traditional tribal structure (internal dynamics) and clientelist relationships (external dynamics). Put differently, threat perceptions lead them to choose either the state or rebels that will more likely secure their traditional structure and patronage networks. With a particular focus on Iraqi tribes, this paper builds a theory of tribal alignment formation based on fieldwork in the Middle East, which consists of interviews with tribal leaders and members, local academics, journalists, researchers, and politicians. This study contributes to the larger body of conflict and security literature by introducing tribes as non-state actors and exploring their interactions with other actors in civil wars.

Author

• Busra Nur Ozguler Aktel, Georgia State University