Libya's tribal politics key to Gaddafi's fate - Reuters Africa

LONDON (Reuters) - Powerful military elites ultimately decided the outcome of Egypt and Tunisia's revolutions, but in Libya it is the much more opaque and complex tribal power structures that could decide how events play out.

Visit http://allstateinsuranceproducts.wordpress.com/

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has long relied on his immediate -- but small -- Qathathfa tribe to staff elite military units and guarantee his personal security and that of his government, experts say. But that is seen unlikely to be enough to secure the country.

for more information about Allstate insurance products News / Reviews

More important are the larger tribes long co-opted into his rule such as the Wafalla, who make up an estimated 1 million of Libyan's more than 6 million population. Some rumours suggest the ferocity of Gaddafi's crackdown on his own people may already be prompting tribal leaders to switch allegiance.

Libya's tribal politics key to Gaddafi's fate - Reuters Africa