Al-Qaida, The Tribes, and The Government
Lessons and Prospects for Iraq's Unstable Triangle
Norman Cigar
ABOUT THE BOOK
This study examines Al-Qaida’s experience dealing with the tribes in Iraq in terms of a triangular relationship involving the Sunni tribes, Al-Qaida, and the government (or the United States as the governing authority in the initial stages), with latter two entities often competing for the allegiance of the tribes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Norman Cigar is director of regional studies and the Minerva Research Chair at the Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia. Previously, he taught at the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting. He has served as a senior analyst at the Pentagon, where he worked in the Office of the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence. He is the author of numerous works on politics and security issues dealing with the Middle East and the Balkans and has been a consultant at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at the Hague. His recent research has focused on jihadist thinking about unconventional war, and his recent publications include Al-Qa’ida’s Doctrine for Insurgency: ‘Abd Al- ’Aziz Al-Muqrin’s A Practical Course for Guerilla War (2008). He holds a DPhil from Oxford; a master of international affairs degree from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University; and a master of science degree from the National Defense Intelligence College (formerly known as Joint Military Intelligence College).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: The Human Terrain: The Tribal Factor in Iraqi Society
Chapter 2: Al-Qaida Tackles the Tribes
Chapter 3: Al-Qaida Alienates the Tribes
Chapter 4: Mobilizing the Tribes Against Al-Qaida
Chapter 5: The U.S. Strategy Matures and the Awakening Develops
Chapter 6: The Shayks’ Positions Assured
Chapter 7: The Tribal War Against Al-Qaida
Chapter 8: The Tribal War Against Al-Qaida
Chapter 9: Al-Qaida Adapts
Chapter 10: The Tribes and the Iraqi Government: A Rocky Relationship
Chapter 11: The Evolving Tribal Environment
Chapter 12: Al-Qaida’s Own Carrot-and-Stick Approach
Contributors and Prospects