Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations

Whether you lean left or right, this book will make you uncomfortable. And I believe it should. If it didn't, it would be a book appealing to one ideology over another and defeats the whole purpose of analyzing political tribalism and the appeal and danger that comes from both engaging in it and also by ignoring it. <br /><br />Chua first looks at what political tribalism is, the role it plays in other parts of the world, and how it is different than the dynamic in the United States. She then dissects US foreign policy that was blind to the power of tribalism in other countries and the missteps that blindness caused the country to take in conflict and policy decisions - Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Venezuela. <br /><br />She then tackles the United States and its divisions - race, class, partisanship, and other groups. No one is spared in her analysis of where we find ourselves now. She sites many different sources throughout her book and makes the idea of political tribalism and its appeal and danger really assessable. <br /><br />I HIGHLY recommend this book. In fact, I feel it should be required reading. I feel this book can provide understanding not only with the dynamics we are seeing now in the United States but offers a better perspective globally, as well. <br /><br />I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher and that edition is what this review is based on. <br /><br /><br /><br />

This is a fantastic book. Clearly and cleanly written, well-sourced, full of both sense and sensibility. The thesis: lack of understanding of the tribal instinct will inevitably lead to disaster both abroad and at home. I appreciated the logical construction of this book: it moves from external to internal. First, the author spends much time detailing how American interventions - portrayed in a number of examples (Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Venezuela) - have started from a place of complete misunderstanding, an arrogant misreading of how American intercessions will impact the countries in question, a refusal to recognize let alone analyze the tribal demarcations within countries where we have forcibly placed ourselves. That lack of understanding and analysis has led to catastrophe; most frustrating of all, these are catastrophes that could have been avoided, if willful arrogance disguised as idealism was not such a foundational attribute of American foreign policy.<br /><br />After reviewing what went wrong abroad through the lens of how tribalism dictates the power structures within many (most? all?) countries, Prof. Chua turns her assessment inward, towards the U.S. itself. The last two chapters of the book are where extremists on both the right and the left may find horseshoe unity in disregarding or rejecting the author's illustration of how the U.S. itself is a tribalist nation - to its ongoing harm. Her vaccines against this virus are holistic ones, and fairly simple and straightforward: recognize the tribalism that exists across the political spectrum; deploy genuine empathy; and do not revert to binary thinking, no matter how tempting, no matter how good it feels to be a part of a wave of righteous group-think. Every tribe and every individual has their reasons, their rationales, their contexts. These should be understood, not demonized. Us versus Them solves nothing in the long run and is not sustainable; a body in constant opposition to itself is a body that will inevitably fray and then decay.<br /><br /><b>Pure Pontification:</b> <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="e23cc767-1b71-42b9-8c1a-6fe795c48609" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="e23cc767-1b71-42b9-8c1a-6fe795c48609"><br /><br />I often consider tribalism to be a kind of toxin: a harmful substance produced within a living organism. Specifically, a harmful outlook. One that damages the bodies that come in contact with that toxin and one that damages the body where the toxin itself is generated. The tribalistic perspective can be promoted by the individual, by the group, by the nation. The final and key chapters of Political Tribes portrays the harmful impact that tribalism continues to generate within the American body. <br /><br />And that said, despite the toxin &amp; virus metaphors... I don't want to necessarily demonize tribalism either. Who am I to condescend to those whose tribalist way of thinking is their way of life - their community's way of life, for generations? I want to be able to recognize tribalism and to disengage myself from a tribalist mode of thinking when I see it coming from within. Not a joiner over here. But one of the great points of this book is that if change is to be promoted outside of the U.S., it must come from a place of understanding and respecting those whose ways of thinking and whose experiences are radically different from our own. Tribalism can't be ignored or dismissed. It is a natural part of the human condition. Chua's point is that tribalism - as dangerous and regressive as it may often be, and as much as it should be seen as something to be overcome - cannot simply be handwaved aside as a minor issue. But that is exactly what we have done in many a nation.<br /><br />This book is important to me on an intellectual and political level because not only did it coalate information both known and unknown (to me) about American misadventures abroad, it establishes a roadmap to avoiding those mistakes in the future. Well, we'll see if those lessons land at all with the powers that be. <br /><br />More importantly to me, on a personal level (and thus the 5th star), Political Tribes helped clarify my own thoughts about the toxicity that has been raging in this country of mine, and has helped me to stay on the track I've set for myself. I'm an old school progressive, and to me that means we must always progress, as individuals and as groups and as a nation. Binary, tribalist group-think is an inhibitor to actual progress in the United States and should be a relic of the past, despite how strongly we may cling to that and other relics. This country is a collection of cultural identities and each cultural identity is married to an overall American identity; neither identity needs to be subsumed by the other. The ability of each of us to hold multiple identities simultaneously, to recognize that we can be a person of many tribes and no single tribe, and to not be ashamed of any of those different identities, is exactly how we can check our own reductive, tribalist instincts. I do not equal one thing nor does the person whose perspective that is diametically opposed to my own way of thinking equal one thing. As the saying goes: <i>we are large, we contain multitudes.</i><br /></label><br /><br />I've read two works of nonfiction this year that resonated deeply with me: Political Tribes and <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/6523357.The_Great_Chain_of_Life" title="The Great Chain of Life by Joseph Wood Krutch" rel="noopener">The Great Chain of Life</a> (the latter a reread of a favorite from college). The lessons of both are central to my own guiding principles, my own personal logic model; namely, that the tenets of empathy and of individualism must be combined and centralized for humans to move forward, together.<br /><br /><b>❂</b><br /><br /><i>Today's purveyors of political tribalism, on both left and right, may think they are defending American values, but in fact they are playing with poison. America will cease to be America... if we define our nationality in terms of "whiteness," "Anglo-Protestant culture," "European Christianity," or any other terms not inclusive of all religions and ethnicities. But it will also cease to be America if enough of us come to believe that our country and its ideals are a fraud. There is a world of difference between saying that America has failed to live up to its own ideals, with egregious injustice persisting today, and saying that the principles supposedly uniting us are just smoke screens to disguise oppression.<br /><br />The peril we face as a nation today is not only that America might fail to live up to its promise, but that Americans might stop believing in that promise or the need to fight for it. The increasing belief on the left that this promise was always a lie, or on the right that it has always been true - and has already been achieved - are two sides of the same coin.<br /><br />What holds the United States together is the American Dream. But it must be a version of the dream that recognizes past failure instead of denying it. Failures are part and parcel of the story line of a country founded on hope, a country where there's always more to be done.</i>

Of all the post-Trump dystopia books, this one resonated with me the most. Chua has her flaws, but she is a great writer. There is nothing particularly new in here (humans are tribal, the US denies this which is why we keep screwing up in our "nation-building efforts abroad," and most crucially, the US is turning more tribal), but I think her analysis is spot-on. I imagine she'll get attacked from some on the left for her take on the misuse and distractions of of micro-aggressions and intersectionality, but I am with her. We have real racism to deal with and the left has its own tribal language that alienates those not woke enough to understand it. This has long been a frustration of mine (as a progressive person who cares deeply about this country). I think Chua is right that we need a new vision of America as a multi-cultural nation so that we can bridge the gap across the tribes. I am not sure I'm as optimistic as she is that we can fix it.

An excellent, wonderfully written, beautiful book.<br><br>GR friends who read my reviews know that I seldom gush and also rarely award a five-star rating, I’m going to do both here.<br><br>Amy Chua, a law professor as Yale University, outlines first the necessity of recognizing and accepting tribes. It’s hardwired into us, being tribal is akin to being human – we are going to find and join groups for many purposes: survival, approval, family, friends, national and or regional, racial or political, religious, spiritual, etc. Being a joiner is much more natural for us than not. <br><br>Chua also identifies where well-meaning idealists, believing that we’ve evolved beyond the need for tribes, have then myopically underestimated the human need for such associations. <br><br>Most noteworthy for me, she explains how overly simplified thinking, especially into binary considerations, grossly misapplies situational awareness of most deliberations, allowing for erroneous misinterpretations of a variety of circumstances, here particularly in the realm of foreign policy. When a mindset is hyper focused on capitalism versus communism, that approach will fail to realize the complicated bigger picture of racial, religious – tribal differences.<br><br>This book examines and explores United States foreign policies in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Venezuela and illuminates how in each scenario US planners made ridiculously misguided strategies based upon faulty foundational understandings of tribal realities in the area.<br><br>Before my deployment to Iraq in 2005, I was very politically active in binary politics – I was all about democrats versus republicans. When I got back, I was cured of that disease and focused instead on more immediate tribes – my family and community. I’ve been preaching this non-binary / anti-binary sentiment ever since to whoever will listen, though Chua’s erudition helps me to understand how difficult it is to let these affiliations go.<br><br>Ever watch an episode of Doctor Phil and the good doctor is interviewing some highly dysfunctional family and he’s letting one family member have it about irresponsibility and selfish behavior? Another family member sits by, smugly agreeing that the other has acted horribly. But Doctor Phil was just getting started and waits to then turn to the smug person and then REALLY let them have it. Binary politicos who read this may also agree with Chua for the first three fourths of the book. But she is only just getting started. She ends with scorching denunciations of both major parties and how they’ve both collaborated on the train wreck that has been American foreign policy for the past half century.<br><br>She ends, though, with some ideas about hope and how to intelligently move forward; understanding and accepting the very real need we have for tribal connections while also having an idea about a bigger reality.<br><br>If I was rich, I’d buy crates of this book and hand them out.<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1637544886i/32221066._SY540_.jpg" width="400" height="400" alt="description" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy">

<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1541368519i/26547313._SY540_.png" alt="Globe, World, Earth, Hands, People, Kids, Circle" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Back when our ancestors were gathering and hunting their food on the African savannahs or later roaming throughout Europe, Australia, and Asia, or later still, crossing the Bering Strait to settle the Americas, it made sense for them to put their tribe above all others. To feel committed to their own tribe of people at the exclusivity of all others. They were used to living in small groups of people, depending on each other to survive, and the tribal mentality they'd evolved with made perfect sense to thrive as a species. <br><br>Just as those with a preference for high calorie, high fat foods survived longer and had more offspring, those tribes with people who had the strongest tribal mentality probably had better survival rates than others (I am not an anthropologist or an evolutionary biologist, so I cannot say this last for sure, but it certainly makes sense that it would be so). <br><br>Today in our modern world where most people live amidst an abundance of food without constant exercise, that old love of high caloric, high fat food is no longer good for us. Indeed, the world is facing an obesity epidemic as more and more people are suffering with heart disease, diabetes, even death BECAUSE of this trait that helped our ancestors survive. Likewise, our tribal mentality is no longer so good for us living in our modern world. It might have helped our ancestors survive and flourish and spread to all continents of the earth, but today, in an age of automatic guns and nuclear weapons combined with our ability to go to anywhere on earth in 24 hours, it could easily get us all killed. <br><br>So what do we do? Well, as always with problems, we have to first recognise there <i>IS</i> a problem. In <i>Political Tribes</i>, Amy Chua points out the ways in which we humans still are very tribal beings. From studies done with young children, we see that at a certain age, they tend to prefer people who seem more like them, even if it's just that they're wearing the same colour of shirt and another is wearing a different colour. That is rather alarming to me, especially as I always thought this behaviour was something that had to be taught. This does not mean we innately hate others, but it does mean that we innately prefer those we perceive as being most like us, share more with those we perceive as being most like, and think better of those we perceive as being most like us. Certainly we can be taught to <i>not</i> be racist, sexist, bigoted, xenophobic, etc., but there is something instinctual in human beings that give us a preference for those we perceive as being most like us. It is because we have this fundamental need to belong. In the distant past, those who did not belong to a group were unlikely to survive. <br><br>This gave me pause for thought and I realised that yes, I too, like when I feel that I belong. When I am out and see someone who's obviously also gay, I feel a certain bond with them. Does this mean I hate straight people or that I only want to be around gays? No. When I learn someone is an unbeliever (atheist or agnostic), I feel a certain connection with them that I don't feel with believers. Does this mean I prefer atheists over theists? No. Does it mean I hate religious people? Not at all. It does, however, mean I like to feel part of a larger whole. I like feeling a connection with other human beings. <br><br>Unfortunately, this sense and even need to "belong" can lead to hatred and violence against any who are perceived to be outside one's group. We see this all too often, all over the world. The United States has probably never been as divided as we are today, except during the Civil War. Racists and Nazis are flying their flags proudly. People refuse to even speak to those who voted for the other candidate. I will admit that I have a difficult time talking with those who voted for trump, because I see it as a vote <i>against</i> me as an LGBTQ citizen. Thus, I tend to surround myself more and more with other liberals. On one hand, I feel more than justified; on the other, I'm not so proud of that and know I need to change my way of thinking. Not to accept trump or his politics and hatred and instigating of violence, but to see that some people didn't vote for him BECAUSE of those things, only despite them (which still bothers me, but perhaps I could still try to listen to the other side). <br><br>OK, enough about me and back to the book.<br><br>Ms. Chua examines the way American leaders have dealt so blindly with tribal politics in other countries. They often see the world as nation-states, and ignore the importance of tribal issues in other countries. Ms. Chua discusses the ways in which America, thinking it would "bring democracy!" to other countries such as Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, blundered things so badly. Just so, she points out how America's political elites have been oblivious to tribal mentality and politics within our own country. This is why they were so certain Hillary Clinton would win the 2016 election, certain there was no way Donald Trump could win. Of course, Donnie himself didn't think he would win, though he was obviously much more aware of tribal mentality and used it so blatantly to bring his adoring audiences to their feet and to the voting booths.<br><br>Now, in the Age of Trump, we live in an America where every minority group feels threatened. I certainly do; I fear that my rights will be taken away. I fear that some crazed religious nutter will show up at a pride parade with a bomb. I fear even when I'm walking with my fiancee, holding her hand (which I will continue to do no matter what!) that some anti-gay fanatic will put a bullet in my brain. <br><br>However, I didn't realise the extent to which many white Americans feel that they too are threatened, namely because they see that eventually non-Latino whites will become a minority in America, in the not-so-distant future. They often feel like the minority groups are allowed to be proud of who they are (Black Lives Matter, Gay pride, etc), but if/when they claim pride for their whiteness, we condemn them. I wonder if this would still bother them if it wasn't the case that we know whites will eventually cease to be the majority? Of course, straight white people are not targeted for their straightness or whiteness and they do not need to live in fear of hate crimes being committed against them simply because they are white or straight. Minorities do. Just last week in Pittsburgh, PA, someone walked into a Jewish synagogue, brutally murdering 11 people. Blacks, and Muslims, Latinos and gays are all seeing an increase in hate crimes against them. <br><br>How can we possibly overcome this? How can we all become simply Americans and stop hating and exploiting other Americans? How can the world, with its increasing hatred of immigrants, especially Muslim ones, come to stop hating but instead recognising the common humanity we share? The first step, as stated above, is to first admit there is a problem, and I don't think anyone will have much difficulty in seeing that there is. Just go to any news site and you will see evidence of hatred and tribal politics at play throughout the world, humans killing and maiming each other simply because they perceive them as different. <br><br>It is <i>never</i> OK to hate and mistreat and discriminate against someone because of perceived differences. And it is <i>never</i> the fault of the oppressed that they are hated and abused. Having an innate bias is much, much different than hating, hurting, or not accepting another group of people or person. Having been born with a bias for people most similar to us is not a reason or excuse to mistreat those with less similarities. I also do not think that in the face of oppression or hatred one should look at themselves and wonder how they too might have biases. No, this is something to look at in a quiet moment of reflection when one is not feeling hurt or abused or upset. We can look at ourselves openly and without judgment, because having a bias is not the same thing as hurting another human being. It's not the same thing as being racist, sexist, trans-phobic, homophobic, etc. It is not, never has been, and never will be an excuse for hatred. No one has a justified reason to hate or hurt another human being. And those who are hurt, hated, and victimised are not at fault. <i>(Thank you to Lois for helping me see I needed to be add this paragraph to my review.)</i><br><br>I think many of us are becoming more globally-minded citizens and putting aside our ancestor's tribal mentality. I think we all can evolve out of that need to "belong" to small groups by realizing that we are each and every one of us human. We already belong to the human race, and we no longer need to put each other in categories in order to feel superior and feel it makes it OK to kill/hurt/enslave others. We no longer need to belong to small groups in order to survive; we now need to belong to one large group, the group of humanity, in order to survive and flourish. In the past it was very difficult to communicate with someone unless they were right there with you. Today, I can talk with friends in Australia and the Middle East, England and Italy, China and South Africa, in real time as though we were in the same room together. We can and should use our technology to become closer, to know and understand each other better. To see the common humanity in all of us.<br><br>I recommend this book because I see it as pointing out such a crucial step in what the world needs to do, but also because it can help each of us identify our own group preferences, and see how important it is to grow out of them. We can recognise our "differences" but in so doing learn from them and appreciate them. Learning about other cultures and meeting people who are in some ways "different" to us is exciting and gives us the chance to grow and expand our worldview, to make our worlds bigger. The world is a big place, so let's not be small-minded. Let's expand our compassion, consciousness, empathy, and respect to include all human beings.

“The grand ideals of democracy have a hard time competing with a simpler, more primal need: belonging."<br /><br />Professor Amy Chua's name is one few have not heard of. Her first book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, tore through the bestseller lists in 2011, bringing to the forefront so much of the anxiety and confusion we have about the way we raise our children and sparking furores about parenting authoritarianism and permissiveness on a global scale. This latest offering of Chua's moves away from the homefront, instead delving into the nature of political and social power, and may well prove no less controversial and provocative. <br /><br />Political Tribes is an in-depth look at the way tribalism affects us all, and how it is such a misunderstood and yet crucial social phenomenon, one that explains so much about the way hearts, elections and wars are lost and won. It begins by questioning the US political zeitgeist, and how so many people got the 2016 presidential election wrong. Chua explains that tribalism is an aspect of the human psychology that is often overlooked and discounted, yet studies with adults, children and even babies have shown that human beings are invariably motivated by the urge to belong. "Humans," she tells us, "aren't just a little tribal. We're *very* tribal, and it distorts the way we think and feel." Chua meticulously and thoroughly examines some of the ways that political tribalism was erroneously handled in the American military efforts in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. She uses the examples of ISIS, the populism of Hugo Chavez, and social movements found in the U.S. to illustrate how ingrouping distorts thinking, encourages conformism and dehumanizes those outside their group. Most terrifyingly, she paints the clearest picture of the political climate of the United States that we have seen thus far, where racial and sexual insecurity, political correctness taken to horrific levels, identity politicking, ethnonationalism and income inequality all combine to create a molten stew of growing tension and fear in all the many tribal groups to be found within one country. <br /><br />I found Political Tribes to be completely riveting reading, and it helps that it reads more like a persuasive conversation rather than a didactic schoolroom text. Amy Chua lays out her arguments compellingly, and backs up her argument with tons of research (as the 68 pages of notes included will show!), indeed making this reader wonder how we have been blind for this long, and how we have come this far without accounting for this very vital sociological truism in our examination of political power. Everyone who wants to make sense of humanity and the way we work in multitudes should avail themselves of this very cogent and persuasive piece of work. <br /><br />As an avid reader of dystopian fiction, I found Chua's book the perfect guide to making sense of the real dystopia we find ourselves in today. Yet grim though her final assessment of the problems she sees in the U.S. political environment in particular, Chua still manages to put together an optimistic epilogue in which she begins by saying, "Despite everything, I sense a shift in America." She then goes on to lay out some of the silver linings she has seen, and the light at the end of the tunnel in America's future. Perhaps there's still the glimmer of hope that if enough people understand more about the tribal instinct so deeply ingrained in all of us, the dystopias we see in our world today can one day become a utopia.

Conceptually, there isn't really anything that could be considered new here, but it is a very timely reminder of the role of group identities, which Chua terms as "tribes" in the book. She takes a look at the outsized role group identities played in America's past forays in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Venezuela and against various terror groups, before finally turning to the country's current internal politics. There were so many paragraphs in this book that made me go "Exactly!" - A quick and interesting read, I would give it 5* except that it somehow feels a bit too short, as if there is yet more that could be explored. But I suppose her advice in the epilogue for engagement and dialogue is the best way to start. We really need to stop applying derogatory labels to everyone who doesn't currently hold the same views as us. Calling people stupid, morons, Nazis, etc is a surefire way of ensuring much-needed dialogue never takes place in a meaningful way. [Final rating: 4.5*]

I learned a lot of really interesting stuff in Prof. Chua's book. She’s very sharp, does her homework, and writes really well. The book is short &amp; pithy. You should read it. Foreign policy and military officers, in particular. 5 stars!<br /><br />Start by reading Amy’s (no relation) review here, a good, short introduction: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2247598889">https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...</a><br />“Whether you lean left or right, this book will make you uncomfortable.” <br />And don't forget to read the publisher's introduction, above.<br /><br />Here are some highlights:<br /><u>Immigration to the US</u><br />From 1820 to 1914, 30 million immigrants arrived in the US — the largest human migration in history. Mostly poor Europeans, these immigrants faced significant challenges to being accepted in their new homeland. Most of them succeeded.<br /><br />1990 to 2000: 9 million immigrants to US, mostly from Latin America and Asia. <br />As of the 2000 census, foreign-born US residents were from:<br />Mexico 7.8 million<br />China 1.4 million<br />Philippines 1.2 million<br />India 1.0 million<br />Cuba 1.0 million<br /><br />The US is still the only large country with birthright citizenship (assuming that survives the Age of Trump). Regardless of the parents nationality, if a child is born in the US, they are an American citizen. No other country in Europe or Asia offers this. She thinks this is a Big Deal for American Exceptionalism, and so do I.<br /><br /><u>America’s wars and blunders</u><br />US made gross errors in understanding the enemy, in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. This is setting aside the question of the wisdom of starting these wars in the first place. Do your homework first, policy makers! The older I get, the more warts I see on my beloved country.<br /><br />I’ll review the Vietnam war, as I know a little about the conflict, but learned a lot about the Vietnamese from Chua’s book. The US got involved in Vietnam as part of the Cold War: the Domino Theory, and supposing that North VN was a Communist Chinese proxy. But this grossly misunderstands VN history: they were formerly a Chinese province, won their independence about a thousand years ago, and have been fighting the Chinese, off and on, ever since (and still are). The VN War, in North VN eyes, was a continuation of their centuries-long battles for independence. Not something negotiable. China and VN were back at war in 1978, just 4 years after the Americans left!<br /><br />Ho Chi Minh even wrote a letter to President Truman, citing his admiration for America’s Declaration for Independence, and asking for America’s help against the French. This wasn’t going to happen, but what if? <br /><br />VN’s ethnic-Chinese minority, the Hoa, had long dominated VN's private industry and wealth. After the 1954 partition, most of the Hoa moved to South VN, and continued to dominate private wealth. Most of the profits from supplying American troops went to the Hoa. Ethnic Vietnamese got little, and resented the Hoa a lot. So the US effort to support South VN was doomed, we lost the war, and got zero benefit from all the blood and treasure poured into it. <br /><br />The Vietnamese, of course, got even less benefit. The Hoa suffered grievously after the war, losing their money and their lives. Most of the “boat people” refugees in the late 1970s were ethnically Chinese, and the country has been “cleansed” of ethnic Chinese, with uncounted thousands of deaths. <br /><br />Chua argues that the reason for the US defeat still isn’t widely understood in the US. I think she’s right. I served in the US Navy during the VN War era (though not in the war, thank heavens), and most of this stuff is new to me. <br /><br />OK, my notes go on, and so could I. Really, just read the book!<br /><br />The New York Times review is a little snarky, but good:<br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/books/review/amy-chua-political-tribes.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/bo...</a><br /><br /><u>Book Excerpt and notes</u><br />“For 200 years,” Chua writes, “whites in America represented an undisputed politically, economically and culturally dominant majority. When a political tribe is so overwhelmingly dominant, it can persecute with impunity, but it can also be more generous. It can afford to be more universalist, more enlightened, more inclusive, like the WASP elites of the 1960s who opened up the Ivy League colleges to more Jews, blacks and other minorities — in part because it seemed like the right thing to do.<br /><br />“Today, no group in America feels comfortably dominant. Every group feels attacked, pitted against other groups not just for jobs and spoils but for the right to define the nation’s identity. In these conditions, democracy devolves into zero-sum group competition — pure political tribalism.”<br /><br />She's (sort of) optimistic for the long term, and indeed the Republic seems likely to endure. We hope.<br /><br />Prof. Chua, you may recall, is the author of "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother". And here's her youngest daughter's account of an incident in her freshman year at Harvard: "... my friend called me over to her computer to show me that her upcoming lecture was on the subject of my childhood. They were holding an entire seminar on how my personality had responded to my mother’s parenting style – and the professor had never even met me!” <br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/whatever-happened-to-the-original-tiger-mums-children/">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/lif...</a>

Amy Chua doesn’t mince her words. But she is very insightful and this is a good book that will make a significant contribution to the debate over the state of America and our collective future.<br /><br />For me, actually, it is really two books. In the first book she does a meticulous job of articulating and analyzing America’s many foreign policy blunders, starting with the Vietnam War. Her basic thesis is that American foreign policy has consistently ignored the perils of tribalism, and, specifically, the inevitable powder keg that is a society in which power has been allocated asymmetrically between the tribes. Specifically, when a tribal minority controls the wealth of a country, the tribal fault lines will ultimately seek to release the pent up resentment.<br /><br />And she’s right. And she’s right that from Vietnam on American foreign policy has been misguided by the false notion that the oppressed people of the world want nothing quite so much as they want the right to vote. They don’t. (Having lived in China for nine years I am constantly amazed that American journalists are still writing about what they imply is an unrecognized groundswell of Chinese that yearn for American style politics. There isn’t one.)<br /><br />The second half of the book, for me, was a little dicier. It is here that she gets more deeply into the current American political landscape. And she continues to make some great points. But…<br /><br />Humans have a fundamental desire to see patterns in reality. I think it’s evolutionary. After all, the ability to plan ahead contributes to the ability to stay safe and perpetuate the species. And you can’t plan ahead if you have made no attempt to interpret the past and present – to find patterns that you can learn from and apply to the future.<br /><br />Tribalism is all about patterns. However you define what it means to be an American, you are defining a pattern. And there are always plenty to choose from because the fabric of reality is rich with them. The context of life and the universe is defined by an almost limitless number of data points existing in a multitude of dimensions all at the same time.<br /><br />And that’s both the beauty and the challenge of patterns. They’re everywhere. And they are all “real”, and that makes them meaningful. But which are the most meaningful? Which are truly causal and which are more coincidental?<br /><br />Everything in life is a duality. For every pro there is a con, for dark there is light, for yin there is yang. A pattern, in other words, can be both causal and coincidental at the same time. Or at different times. <br /><br />And that’s where the book lost me a little bit. If she didn’t take political tribalism too far she peered over the precipice. Sovereign citizens, narco-saints, the prosperity gospel, NASCAR nation, WWE, and other tribal identifiers are obviously real, but are they causal or coincidental? And are they impactful enough that it matters? (NASCAR nation is huge, but is it singularly defining for its many fans?)<br /><br />My only other observation is that she doesn’t spend much time on technology and the role it has had in defining and aggravating tribalism. She does reference the impact of “echo-chamber social media,” and perhaps that would be too much to expect for one book. I just think we’re just now beginning to understand how tribally divisive, if you will, technology has been.<br /><br />Ultimately, the author is right when she concludes, “America’s ideals always far exceeded its reality.” And she’s right that whatever we think those ideals are, if we simply walk away from them we walk away from who we are. (Again, as always, true and not true at the same time.) Whether we think that is the right thing to do or not we at least better think it through before we set out. Ultimately the author is right, wherever we want to go, acute and exclusionary tribalism is unlikely to take us there.<br />

Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations by Amy Chua is an interesting examination of tribalism as an internal and very human trait, with a particular focus on the United States and recent bipartisan tensions in that country. The book first begins by examining American Exceptionalism and the idea of the American nation and American dream. These concepts have long been intertwined in the US's national consciousness, and promote ideals of individualism, human freedom, immigration and so on. The United States has accepted many millions of people from all over the world throughout its history, and has integrated them into a more national conciseness and culture. Chua is not naive, however, and deftly shows the controversy and hypocrisy that often works hand in hand with this consciousness. <br /><br />First she moves into other territory by examining US interactions with actual tribal societies. A chapter on Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq show the US's historical inability to grasp tribal relationships in its global wars. The US has often focused on ideology - capitalism vs. communism, democracy vs. extremism, etc. etc., but has failed to grasp more complex relationships based on cycles of historical violence and exclusion. In Vietnam, the Chinese community in that country controlled a vast majority of the countries wealth, while maintaining a population below 5% of the total. In Afghanistan, the Pashtun Taliban increased its fighting forces by appealing to Pashtun nationalism against rival Tajik and Uzbek elites in the government. In Iraq, Sunni minorities long supported by colonial powers used violence and suppression against the Shia majority - only to have the tables turn during the growth and violent outburst of hatred that created ISIS. These crisis were largely exacerbated by US state making efforts in these regions, and Chua makes mention of these topics to show the blindness the US has often had toward more tribal forms of relationships.<br /><br />Chua discusses these relationships in detail. Tribalism is often about group belonging, pride in ones self and ones compatriots, and feelings of connectivity, belonging and family. Tribalism also exhibits hostility to others, and a perceived lack of empathy and similarity to those considered "other." This phenomena has reared its head in the public sphere with the recent election of Donald Trump in 2016 - an event that has sharply increased bipartisan hatred between the left and right in the US. Chua attributes this event to a growing sense of political tribalism in both the left and right wing in the US. On the left, one sees an increasingly divided wing of people who are organizing along minute identity lines - whether they be black, Hispanic, white women, black women and so on. These groups are becoming increasingly hostile to anyone perceived as an outsider, and often target each other and others for expressing different views and opinions. Accusations of racism and bigotry are thrown around with little thought to the actual meaning of these words and concepts. On the right, a similar tribalism is occurring, centered around perceived threats to the white community in the US. This goes beyond white nationalism and racism, and is often rooted in class divisions and poverty, and the perception that this community is being targeted by media and coastal elite. This is a group that does not identify with the splintered left, and is baffled and confused by the rhetoric being thrown their way - an reacting to it by turning to the alluring siren call offered by tribal right wing politics. This group does not understand the left's (deserved) desire to be treated more equally, and worries that this equality will naturally come at their expense. <br /><br />Chua's analysis is concise and profound, and captures the spirit of this conflict in ways I have difficulty articulating here. The analysis of the viewpoints of these competing groups is well done and non-biased. Each group has legitimate concerns, and all groups feel threatened by the other - leading to a dangerous spiral of hatred and reaction that is ratcheting up tensions and divisions. Chua also discounts the more extremist rhetoric from each side - largely debunking overt accusations of racism against the right, and the splintered identitarian trope being thrown at the left. Each side is really a spectrum of competing interests, wants and needs that are easily relatable by all. She also examines the deeper characteristics of the US as a nation-state - one that has indeed supported and encouraged equality, but also has a dark past of struggling to put these ideals into practice. Chua deftly articulates the natural tensions these conflicting viewpoints of history creates, and is both worried and hopeful that they can be overcome. As Dr. Seuss might say "A persons a person, no matter how small" - or simply put, exposure to other sides in a humane and intimate way is a great way to overcome political tribalism and the schisms it creates. This was a great read, and certainly a timely examination of growing tensions within US bipartisan spheres. Recommended for those interested in the subject matter, and I personally feel this is one of the more important reads coming out of the deluge of Trump-related materials flooding the market.