Tribes

An article in The New York Times this past Sunday charted some history of Afghanistan's tribes. Although I'm still a bit fuzzy on the various groups, I'm struck by how, at the most basic level, people look out for their own. It's only human (even if it's normally less complicated than the relationships set out by the Times writers Ruhullah Khapalwak and David Rohde). I'm diligently trying to deepen my understanding of Afghanistan, but I must confess to I a major moment of vapidity: the handsome central figure in Adam Ferguson's photo of some of the Shinwari leaders looks like George Clooney—a honcho in a different but nonetheless tribal Western society. The elder with the white beard looks like Matt Damon.

Photo by Adam Ferguson for The New York Times