societies are tribal. The most salient structure is the local lineage group. National leaders do not make giant sacrifices on behalf of the nation because their higher loyalty is to the sect or clan. Order is achieved not by the top-down imposition of abstract law. Instead, order is achieved through fluid balance of power agreements between local groups." Culture and conflict is cited for its explanation of one of the "obstacles" blocking "individual freedoms, civil rights, political participation, popular sovereignty, equality before the law, and representative elections" in Arab lands. Notes 2008 non-fiction books Books about the Middle East