tribal politics
Us-versus-them governance
Tribal politics describes political behavior driven by loyalty to one's group rather than evaluation of issues or candidates on their merits.
The tribe may be a political party, ideology, region, or identity group.
The term is almost always pejorative, implying that such loyalty overrides reason: Tribal politics has made compromise impossible.
It suggests people treat political opponents as enemies rather than fellow citizens with different views.
- Arab tribesKinship groups of Arabia
- tribalizingMaking group-based divisions
- factionalismDivision into opposing cliques
- patronageSupporter's financial backing
- chiefTop-ranking leader
old guard · kinship · ethnicity · polarization · groupthink · sectarianism · nepotism · historical grievances · loyalty · clan · tribal elder · civil wars · war drums · blood feud · ethnonationalism · vendetta · feudalism · bias
- African politicsNigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Pan-Africanism, Mali
- Arab HistoryArab Spring, Arab League, Nasser, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Baath Party
- Alaska Governmentstate legislature, state senate, state house, legislature, governor
- Maghreb HistoryMorocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Algiers, Marrakech
- OmanMuscat, frankincense, dhow, Gulf of Oman, oil discovery
- Uganda HistoryIdi Amin, Kampala, Entebbe, 1962, colonial rule
tribal politicsnonpartisanship
Absence of party affiliation
political independence · pragmatism · intellectual honesty · open-mindedness · critical thinking
tribal politicsbipartisanship
Cooperation between political rivals
political unity · coalition-building · nonpartisanship · coalition building · compromise
tribal politicsrational discourse
Logic-based exchange of views
cosmopolitanism · universalism · impartiality · liberal democracy · rule of law