|
JD Johannes: 20 Million Dinar for a Life
The blood debt is a custom in many cultures, but unknown to many Westerners.We used to know all the details about Wehrgeld, but we gave it up about the time Charlemagne was knee-high to a duck. In Iraq the tradition of the blood debt helped fuel the sectarian killing sprees that nearly plunged the country into a civil war. That's kinda the reason the Franks gave it up, too, I think. In Iraq and Afghanistan tribal leaders often negotiate the blood debt to a cash or property settlement. The family and tribe of the deceased agree to not seek blood if they are compensated. Just yesterday I witnessed a highly formalized negotiation about the blood debt by the nascent Tribal Union in Dujayl, Iraq. The goal of the Tribal Union is to unify the tribes in this agrarian community so to have a unified voice before the civil government. To do that, the any disputes need to be resolved quikcly and equitably. The leadership of the Union is proposing standardized procedures to resolve grievances. Meeting a school auditorium and sitting on plastic chairs, more than 100 Sheiks took part in the open meeting of the Union. The Tribal Union is a relatively new creation in Dujayl. In the early years of the war, US forces went looking for anyone and everyone who would cooperate with them. In Dujayl a man who spoke English was the first to shake the hand of US forces. He said the right things and put on a good act. But he was not a real Sheik and had no real influence. He did make a lot of money off the US though. During the Surge and after, it became obvious that the Sheiks Council of Dujayl was populated by scoundrels. The US officers began to follow the tribal roots back to the real Sheiks. The fake Sheiks fled, the Council was dissolved and the Tribal Union formed. US Army CPT Justin Daubert sits on the stage during the meetings, as a representative of the strongest and richest tribe in Dujayl, but does not take an active role in the open meetings.
Posted by: trailing wife 2009-11-25 |
|
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=284132 |