Political Tribes

From the author of the international bestsellers World on Fire Battle and Hymn of the Tiger Mother, a bracing and original look at the tension between our tribal instincts and our democratic political ideals Humans are tribal. We need to belong to groups. Groups unite us, fostering a sense of belonging and taking care of some of our most basic needs. They have also, throughout history, divided us. Today the West - and particularly the United States - sees the world in terms of nation-states engaged in great ideological battles: democracy vs. authoritarianism, communism vs. capitalism, the `free world' vs. the `axis of evil'. Abroad, our inability to recognise ethnic, religious, sectarian and clan-based tribes has led to stunning oversights in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. This hasn't always been the case. During its imperial heyday, for instance, Britain exploited the power of group identities by practicing ruthlessly successful, acutely group-conscious divide-and-rule policies to its advantage. Now political correctness has seen group-blindness become the norm, leading to disasters at home and abroad. Pundits miscalled the US election and Brexit because they failed to pay heed to the deep significance of political tribes at home. They didn't understand, and even looked down on, what matters most to ordinary citizens: not equality, not democracy, not grand ideals, but belonging to a group. If we are to transcend our political tribes, we must rediscover a broader, more nuanced unity that acknowledges the reality of our group differences. Insightful, challenging and provocative, Political Tribes is Amy Chua at her best.